The Way It Was Meant To Be
by ForgottonGrief
Summary: Running from past mistakes that haunt her, Bella ends up in her father's house in small town Forks. But trying to handle her own abilities and duties can be difficult when love and lust get in the way...Rated M for later chapters. FEMSLASH.
1. Prologue

**A/N Hi guys. This is my first fanfic, so be nice to me. To clarify, this story is femslash, as in girl/girl pairings. Don't like, don't read. This will be a rewrite of Twilight, but with a twist all my own. So enjoy! Oh, and I own nothing. Stephenie Meyer does.**

* * *

**APOV**

I gasped as my most recent vision left as suddenly as it came. As my eyes refocused, I took in the expressions of my family. Carlisle and Esme, my compassionate 'parents', looked only worried about the vision that could make me react in such a way. Emmet, my practical joking brother simply wore a slightly puzzled expression on his face. Rose was gazing around the room with her usual indifference. But it wasn't their reactions I was worried about.

Jasper had stiffened up from the barrage of emotions I was sure he could feel radiating off me. His face was screwed up tightly in a grimace. I quickly averted my eyes to the floor; I couldn't bear his pain. And Edward. His eyes were a deep, coal black and blazed into my own. His fists were clenched and he was shaking slightly.

"Alice." I flinched at his voice, studying my shoes intently. "Would you kindly explain to me what the fuck that was?"


	2. Visions

**A/N I own nothing. Stephenie Meyer does.**

* * *

**BPOV**

"Have you got everything you need, Bells? Need me to pick anything up from the store?"

I sighed, smiling gently at my father's worrying. I knew he was just trying to make me feel more at home in rainy Forks, and I could hardly tell him that that would never happen. So I swallowed the sarcastic remark that threatened to bubble up and instead just replied in the negative. He nodded silently, and left the doorway of my room. Shutting the door behind him, I threw myself onto the bed and curled up in a ball.

Making a new life in Forks with my father was my last chance. After my mistakes in Phoenix, I knew I could no longer hope to stay. But leaving my scatterbrained mother to fend for herself to go live in a place that was so entirely the opposite to my old home it nearly made me cry was the last thing I wanted to do. Renee didn't want me to leave, but at the same time I could see she wanted to have the opportunity to travel with Phil, her baseball-playing husband. So in the end it was easy to convince her that it would be good for me to live elsewhere while I finished off high school.

Not to say it wasn't painful. I had to leave my bike behind, since I knew Charlie would explode if he found out I rode one. Plus, rainy Forks was nothing like the Arizonian Desert; I'd probably crash the first time I rode out. This left me without wheels, and caused the first cringe worthy attempt of Charlie to help me feel more comfortable here. He bought me a truck, which is fair enough, since the terrain around here wasn't the smoothest. But the truck itself…was less than perfect. An ancient Chevy that started shaking violently if you tried to push it anywhere near fifty was not exactly a dream car for someone who enjoyed the speed of a top range motorbike. Still, I grinned and bore it. At least he was being thoughtful.

Billy, Charlie's long time friend, had brought it round for me, since Charlie had bought it off him. With him came his son, Jacob, whom I had apparently played with when I was small. To tell the truth, I really didn't remember, and I was more preoccupied with the disgusting smell that seemed to radiate from him. Kinda like wet dog.

Although only fifteen, Jacob seemed a lot older, and had to have been at least six foot. He did look at me funny when I tried to oh-so-subtly cover my nose when he came closer to me; I would say he even looked hurt. I felt bad for a bit, but it really wasn't my fault if he didn't know how to wash. He shrugged it off too, and proceeded to show off the truck to me. It was him, apparently, who had done it up. As he helped me into the driver's seat, I became suddenly and painfully aware of his attraction to me. Shit. Last thing I need is a kid following me around like a lost puppy. I'm not being mean, he was a nice kid. But still just a kid.

I breathed a sigh of relief after they'd gone, since I'd had to put up with Jacob trying incessantly to make conversation with me, and his clumsy attempts at flirting. In the end, I'd had to tell him that I was gay, just to get him to shut up. His face was priceless.

I'd had a couple of days before school started, so I did my best to learn my way around the town in my 'new' truck. The result was that I returned after only thirty minutes with my head down and my cheeks burning; the truck really did make a god-awful racket. So I'd spent the rest of my time reading out on the grass, staring forlornly in the mirror at how crappy I looked, and cooking proper food for Charlie. I don't think he'd had a home cooked meal since Renee left him. But tonight, my last night before school, all possibilities had been exhausted.

So this left me time to reflect on past events at my school in Phoenix. I couldn't believe that I had gotten so careless; in a matter of months I went from having a small, comfortable group of friends to alienating myself completely, with whisperings and jeering behind my back. And then that last incident – the one that closed my life in Phoenix forever…

_Flashback_

"_W…what are you, you freak?" I looked up from the dirt where I had crouched over the body. Concealing my knife from the boy's view, I started backing away slowly. "What the HELL did you do to Kevin?" he shouted, recognising the body immediately and rushing over to it. _

"_You…don't understand, I…" I reached forward to him. He cowered in terror._

"_No! Get away from us, bitch!"_

I'd had to leave before he recognised me, before I could clear things up. And in that moment I hated myself for the things I had to do, because I knew that it would tear me from house and home. It was only a matter of time before that kid put two and two together, made five and started screaming the place down. And that meant I had to leave. Grr. Stupid kid.

So, anyway, there I was curled up on my bed, feeling sorry for myself when I felt another presence outside my window. _Come to bother me already?_ I thought, pulling myself up and padding over to the window, staring into the gloom. Opening the window and sniffing quietly, I caught a sickly sweet smell, almost as bad as Jacob's smell from earlier. But the presence itself was gone. _Huh. Guess it didn't feel like a fight tonight._ Pulling the window shut once more, I decided that there would be no point staying up any longer if I was just going to mope about past mistakes. Peeling off my clothes, I stood in front of the full length mirror against my wall and sighed at my inadequate body. I then stiffened when I once again felt a presence. This one, however, felt different. A strange thrill ran through my body.

Pulling on some ratty joggers and a creased tank top, I rushed to the window once more, threw it open and took a big gulp of air. The overly sweet smell was still there, but something much more delicious was prominent. It was incredibly hard for me to describe, as it was completely unique, but if I had to liken it to something, I would say it was a cross between mountain strawberries and some kind of musk. My eyes closed, and I took in as much of the scent as I could. There was nothing else better. But by the time I had stopped doing so, I realised that this presence, too, had left. Saddened suddenly, although I didn't understand why that should be, I turned back the covers on my bed and clambered in, leaving the window open so the scent could permeate my room. Within a few minutes I had fallen asleep.

* * *

**APOV**

"Excuse me, Edward!" I fumed. "I do not have to explain myself to you! You know just as well as I that I have absolutely no control over what I see!" My anger only seemed to have inflamed him more. He approached me, I supposed he liked to think he was menacing, and puffed his chest out.

"She is _mine_," he intoned possessively. I tilted my head and smirked.

"You haven't even met her yet, and already you're making claims?" I tried to hold back my snigger. "Don't you think she should have a choice in the matter?" He stuttered for a moment, before drawing up to his full height.

"She is mine," he repeated. "She will be with _me_. You have Jasper; I've had nobody for over one-hundred years." He was bordering on whiney now. But mentioning Jasper was a low blow, and decreased my chances of avoiding having to tell the rest of the family about this particular vision. I glared at him. _I loathe you, Fuckward._ He returned the glare.

"The feeling is very much mutual, I assure you."

"Would somebody please explain to us what is going on?" Carlisle interrupted our glaring match. We both blinked, then straightened up.

"Of course. I'm sure Alice would be happy to explain," Edward replied sweetly. I gave him my best fuck-you glare, and he smirked in return. I took a deep, unneeded breath.

"Okay. For a little while now, I've been getting visions of this new human girl who will be arriving in Forks any day now. The first time, a few months ago, Edward was there to experience the vision with me, and he can clarify that it was not exactly clear. In fact, it was more of a notion of the girl than actually being able to see her. Neither of us knows what she looks like. The pictures were blurred and out of focus, but the actions were clear enough. After this event, Edward declared, only to me, that the girl was his mate, and that they were destined to be together. I wondered how he could know from such a vision, but did not question him. Anyway, each vision I got he became more adamant that she was his destiny. However, this most recent one was…different." I paused to consider my next words. There was no way that I could avoid hurting Jasper now, but I might be able to at least soften the blow for him.

"Go on," Esme urged.

"The girl and I…we were together. On a beach, somewhere. We were holding hands, walking along. Then we kissed. That's it." I closed my eyes, not wanting to see their reactions. I could feel Edward becoming tense once more. Then I became aware of an anger engulfing me. Ohh shit. I opened my eyes, and they locked with Jasper's. His were a soulless black, akin to Edward's.

"Another…girl?" he hissed between clenched teeth. My heart was shattering. There were several reasons I'd tried so hard to conceal my thoughts and feelings from Edward thus far, and it'd all fallen apart at this incident. I never wanted to hurt Jasper.

"Jasper, wait I-"

"No!" he roared. "Don't try to talk your way out of this. I can feel your emotions now plain enough Alice! How could you!" He ran out of the room, leaving me to fall to my knees, broken at his words.

"You see, Alice? You've already ruined two people's lives, and she hasn't even gotten here yet!" Edward jeered. He turned to Carlisle, Esme, Emmet and Rosalie, whom had been relatively silent throughout this escapade. "I would like a vote. Who do you think is more deserving of a clear shot with this girl, my soul mate? Her?" he gestured to my place on the floor. "Or me?"

Esme immediately spoke up.

"I wish not to vote on this matter, but I will say this. Whomever is given 'a clear shot' as you put it, Edward, should immediately step aside if the human shows interest in another person, be it vampire, human, or even werewolf." Edward growled, presumably at the thought of the girl being with a werewolf. I simply nodded. I saw no reason to control who the girl was with; she should be happy. Edward was silent for a time, before finally agreeing after being subjected to Esme's disapproving scowl.

"Very well. I'm going to hunt, and to see if I can find Jasper," she said as she departed.

"Rose?" Edward turned to the blonde. She frowned.

"I would rather neither of you got involved with a human, but if one of you must, I think it should be Edward."

"Emmett?"

"Sorry bro, but Alice has got my vote." I smiled graciously at him, and he grinned in return.

"Carlisle?" I could hear the slight worry in Edward's voice.

"I think, Edward, that you should be given a chance, since you say she is your soul mate, and it is true, you have been alone for your entire existence as a vampire."

I tried extremely hard to hide my despair when the decision was made. Fearing the worst, I tried to look into the future to see if this would change anything.

"Don't you dare!" Edward knocked my concentration and whatever vision that was appearing to me scattered like dust. I growled at him. "You have Jasper. Right now, I suggest you try to salvage what relationship you have left with him." I began to shake violently with anger. How dare he? How dare he presume to tell me what to do because he managed to manipulate our family into letting him get the girl?

"Alice?" I felt a soothing hand on my arm. "Alice, I think Edward is right. Jasper is probably suffering a lot right now, and the least you could do it try to apologise to him."

"I'm not sure that I should do that right now, Carlisle. I might get my head bitten off."

"So much the better…" Edward mumbled. Argh! The conceited bastard!

"Edward, get out. I may have sided with you on this occasion, but that does not warrant speaking to your sister like that!" Carlisle yelled. Edward looked surprised for a moment, then slowly slunk off to his room.

"Go hunt, Alice. You look like you need it." Carlisle's concerned voice snapped me out of my angry haze, and I nodded.

"You're probably right. I'll be back later."

* * *

After feeding on a few deer south of the river, I swung into a tree not far from the house to think. Tonight could have gone better, and I had no idea what to do about Jasper. I loved him, but his anger could sometimes make him unpredictable, and I wasn't sure how to even start talking to him. I'd have to wait for a little. But what to do in the meantime? Suddenly, a vision hit.

"_Need me to pick anything up from the store?" _I recognised the voice as Charlie Swan, the Police Chief. Why was I seeing him?

"_No thanks Ch-Dad," a musical voice replied. I knew it was her immediately. When Charlie left, I heard her sigh. She shut the door and curled up on her bed, crying silently._

My heart went out to her. She would feel unhappy here. Wait, but didn't that mean Charlie was her dad? Oh, so she is the prodigious daughter I had heard rumours about. And she was here now, by the sounds of things. Before I could stop to think, I was pulled into another vision.

"_Who the hell are you?" the girl asked, staring up at…Edward? He was standing in her room, evidently extremely surprised at being caught. "Get the fuck out of my room, pervert!" she screamed._

I sighed. As much as I hated my douche of a brother, it would be better for the both of us if I stopped him from getting caught. After all, if she thought Edward was a freak, she'd probably judge me the same way, before she got to know me. Rushing off towards the Swan residence, I managed to reach Edward. Staying just within his earshot, I called to him just as he was about to climb the tree outside the girl's window.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I replayed the vision in my head. He was at my side immediately.

"So what if she catches me?" he asked, irrationally. He was evidently still pissed off at me. I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to realise what he had just said. "Uh…yeah. Forget I just asked that." If he wasn't a vampire, I swear he'd be blushing. Before I could say anything, though, he raced off into the woods again. I was about to follow, but a heady scent reached me in the breeze Edward had created. Breathing deeply, I relished in it. _What _is_ that? _Slowly, I crept towards the house. The beautiful pine-and-honey smell appeared to be coming from the girl's window, although her window was closed. But before I could get closer, I caught a movement through the glass. Not wanting to be caught, I turned tail and fled, but only into the bushes, out of sight. Peering between leaves, I gazed upon the girl's face for the first time.

_Beautiful._ Her heart shaped, pale face was framed by flowing brunette waves going past her shoulders. Her lips were red and full, and her eyes…a liquid chocolate colour that I could lose myself in for days. She appeared to be taking deep breathes, just as I had done earlier. _What is she doing?_

In the distance, I heard something approaching. For fear it might be Edward, I slipped quietly away. But my thoughts remained solely on the beauty I had just witnessed, and one particular fact that would usually bring me annoyance, but now brought me joy; _school starts tomorrow._


	3. New Girl

**A/N Thankies to all of you who took the time to review! Stephenie Meyer owns all apart from Rick. He is **_**mine**_**! Lol.**

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**BPOV**

I had a bad feeling about today. The idea of starting somewhere different where I knew no-one was somewhat daunting, but there was something else bugging me; a gut feeling that just wouldn't let up.

After dragging my sorry ass out of bed at some ungodly hour of the morning and a cold shower (Charlie had already left, using up all the hot water) I managed to make it downstairs to a healthy breakfast of…uh…

The cupboards were completely empty. Does Charlie just not _eat_ at the house? _Great, guess I'm skipping breakfast._ Grabbing my messenger bag and an umbrella, I made my way out to my *shudder* truck. There was no way I'd be able to enter the lot unnoticed with this particular brand of noisiness. I wasn't even sure the old rust bucket would make it all the way to school, but still… Reluctantly, I climbed in and made the short drive to Forks High.

Now I'd never really been shy of attention, but there's only so much a girl can take. And when the entire student body stares at you as you rock up in your battered truck and nearly fall out of the driver's seat,(slick) it's a little too much for anyone's comfort. And when you could _hear_ them gossiping about you too…that just made it worse. So, with my treacherous cheeks burning and my head down, I all but ran to the school office to pick up my schedule. Where I was met by more staring. _Jeesh, give it a rest already! _I thought as I received my timetable and map (uh…) from the secretary, who was burning a hole in my forehead with her laser gaze. _Honestly woman, never seen a teenager you haven't known since they were two?_ Mustering a fake grin, I scurried back to my truck to study the map _before_ class began and I looked like an idiot with my nose stuck in a piece of paper, then walking into a wall or something.

I was distracted, though, when new scents reached me. They were all different, but among them were the two scents I recognised from the night before. _What the hell?_ Before I could pinpoint where these smells had emerged from, the bell went. Damn it!

"Stupid lessons…not like they're going to get me anywhere anyways…I'm stuck like-"

"Hey, you're Isabella Swan, right? The new girl?" My mutterings were interrupted by a nerdy looking Asian guy with greasy black hair. Slightly dazed, I only had enough brain cells functioning to warrant a nod.

"Cool, I'm Eric. So do you want help finding your first class?" Since I'd been distracted, I realised I hadn't actually even looked properly at the map. I smiled gratefully at him.

"Yeah. That would be great, thanks. Uh, it's Bella, by the way."

* * *

Class went by surprisingly quickly for a Monday morning, and before I knew it I was shuffling into the cafeteria, fretting over the age old question of who to sit with on your first day. Paying for my food (Really? That's what they call it?), I began scanning around for an inconspicuous place to sit, when a frantic waving caught my eye. It was Eric. Relieved that I'd been saved from further embarrassment and looking like a saddo, I walked swiftly over to his table.

"Hey Bella! How was class? Hope the teachers didn't chew you out too much," Eric said as I sat down. A sandy haired kid who was sitting next to me nearly fell off his seat when I greeted him. He was too busy doing goldfish impressions to reply, so I turned back to Eric.

"Nah, they weren't too bad actually." They weren't too bad, because I'd been giving them glares every time it looked like they were going to ask me something.

"That's good." At this point, a fake tanned brunette breezed over to our table and banged her tray down in frustration. Noting that her meal consisted entirely of salad, I rolled my eyes. Not another one of those near-anorexic girls. Sure, I didn't like how I looked, but that was no reason to starve myself. You looked bad and you felt even worse; simple as.

"God, you wouldn't believe the day I – " the girl looked set to begin an utter bitch about how crap she thought her life was (I could practically see Eric and the blonde guy slump further into their seats) when she looked down and noticed me. Looking at me like she'd just stepped in something nasty for a moment, she then quickly plastered a fake smile on her face. "Oh, hi! You must be, like Isabella, right?" she looked around the table for confirmation, not at me. _Nice, bitch. Way to make someone feel welcome._

"It's Bella, but yeah. And you are?" I barely managed to keep the pissed off tone out of my voice, looking her up and down quickly.

"I'm Jessica," She paused, as if expecting all the guys in the cafeteria to fall to their knees at the mention of her name. I looked at her incredulously. "Cheerleading captain." _Whoop de doo. How nice for you, sunshine. Hmm, captain of Forks High cheerleading squad. What are there, like, five of you, like? _Okay, so I was being bitchy, but people like her really pissed me off, being so far up their arses an' all. But, being the coward I am, I simply smiled lightly and went back to studying my…food.

"So, Bella," the blonde guy started. He said something else, but at that point I zoned out. _There are those smells again._ I turned my head quickly to look at the cafeteria entrance, in time to catch the entrance of four impossibly beautiful people.

First came a rather intimidating looking guy. He had dark, curly hair cropped quite short, and muscles so large I would have said he was on steroids. He stood about 6'2" and was grinning inanely. Holding his hand was a model. Seriously. She looked like she had just walked off a runway. Long, wavy blonde hair and a body any girl would die for, she gave off the impression of being slightly snobbish, and must have been about 5'9". After them stalked a rather grumpy looking boy, who seemed younger than the last two. His auburn hair looked like it had been rumpled one too many times and at 6' he gave off the air of some kind of predator. I shuddered involuntarily when his black eyes met mine, swiftly shifting my eyes on to the last person. And I nearly fell off my seat.

She was absolutely stunning. Significantly shorter than the other girl, she danced across the room in a care free manner that seemed so refreshing. Her onyx locks fell just below her chin and spiked out at all angles in a way that reflected that manner. Thick lashes framed honey golden eyes, and as they locked with my own, I felt like I was ready to melt.

Blushing at being caught staring at her, I quickly turned back to the people at my own table to find another girl had joined us during my gawking session. She was sitting next to Jessica, who leaned over conspiratorially. Oh good. Time for a dose of gossip.

"Delicious, aren't they? They're the Cullens – moved here from Alaska two years ago with Dr Cullen and his wife. The big one, Emmett, and the blonde one, Rosalie, they're _together_. Like, together together. They're all adopted, but it's just nasty. And the short one, Alice, she's with Jasper."

"The guy with bed hair?" I asked, feeling my heart sink slightly. _She's taken_. I swear I heard a snort from the table the Cullens were now sat at.

"No, Jasper doesn't appear to be here today. The other guy is _Edward._" She said his name so dreamily, but I really didn't get why she was making a big deal over him. "He's gorgeous, but don't waste your time. Nobody here seems to be good enough for him." Her voice turned bitter and she scowled.

"So when did he turn you down?" I blurted before I could stop myself. She narrowed her eyes at me, and I could hear chuckling coming from the Cullen table. _What were _they_ laughing about?_

"He didn't turn me down," she replied haughtily. This was so obviously a lie that I couldn't swallow the laughter that bubbled up in my throat. She glared at me when the rest of the table, apart from the newcomer, joined me. This person, she turned to. "Come on, Lauren. Let's go." The girl (assumedly one of her sycophants) rose immediately and stalked off with her. "New bitch better watch her mouth, or I might do something that she would really not enjoy," I heard her whisper under her breath to Lauren. Feeling a little reckless, I stood up and shouted at her retreating back.

"And what would that be, Jessica? You gonna have your followers throw insults at me 'cos you're too scared to come do it yourself?" She turned around, wide eyed.

"How did she hear me from there?" I heard her whisper in panic. _Aww shit._ Then I realised what I'd done. Sitting down again abruptly, I began stabbing at the mush on my plate irately, cursing myself. It was mistakes like this that forced me to move the first time around. _I MUST be more careful!_

In my pocket, my phone began buzzing. Thanking whatever higher power there was up there, I pulled it out and began walking to the door leading outside, not answering before it was safely closed behind me. Not needing to check the caller ID, I pressed the receive button.

"Hey Rick!" I smiled into the phone.

"Hey baby doll! How's it goin'? Bummer that you had to move, but y'know, I always was telling you to be more careful," the familiar voice drawled into the phone. I rolled my eyes.

"Sure, sure, Rick. So when you comin' down?" There was a pause, then a sigh.

"Bella, you know I have so much stuff to clean up round here. You saw that for yourself. I'm not even sure I could make it this year, so you're gonna have to hold up on your own for a while. What's the sitch down there, hun? There any trouble?"

"Nothing so far. I'm being cautious though."

"Good, good. Well, I gotta run. I know you can handle yourself; you'll be fine, Bells. Catch ya later." He rang off.

I smiled. Rick always did have the best timing. He was my partner in crime; we shared our conditions and our burdens together, and he had been the one to teach me the things I needed to know when I first became what I am. I was indebted to him, and we were the best of friends. But him not being able to come down for a year…the thought made my good mood plummet once more. Staring off in the distance and grasping for something, anything to take my mind off Phoenix, I found my mind settling on Alice.

There was something intriguing and intoxicating about her, like she was intangible. She reminded me of a pixie, constantly full of energy and grace, never anything but smiles and sunshine. But when I had locked eyes with her for that split second, I saw something more. I saw pain. The thought that anybody would hurt this enchanting creature was so beyond my comprehension that it started to make my head hurt. But what eyes! Her perfectly proportioned features and stunningly toned body accentuated by her designer clothing occupied my thoughts for a good five minutes before I realised that I should probably go clear and get to my next class.

Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, I re-entered the building and made a bee-line for the table where I'd left my tray, grabbing it and dumping it before anyone could say anything, I was almost home and dry when I felt and arm grab onto my wrist. Jumping around in surprise, I came face to face with blond guy from our table. I looked at him expectantly.

"Hey, uh, Eric said you had biology with Banner next. I have that too. Do you want to walk with me?" I could see a faint tinge of red across his cheekbones.

"Uh, yeah that would be great. But I'm terribly sorry, I've forgotten your name," I replied, feeling guilty. He scratched the back of his head.

"No worries. It's Mike," he grinned, before walking through the door ahead of me. "Come on."

As we made our way through the hallways, Mike began to talk.

"That was pretty cool, back there when you put Jessica in her place? She really just needed to be told, but nobody would stand up to her." I snorted.

"Why would nobody stand up to _her_? She's not exactly intimidating." Mike pulled a face.

"Well, they tried to in the beginning, but she just wouldn't listen. I swear she was just so dumb she didn't understand. So people just gave up and didn't bother. Somehow, you did the miraculous and got it through her thick skull that no-one likes her. Kudos to you!"

I nodded. "Figures."

We walked the rest of the way in silence, elbowing our way through crowds when necessary, until we reached the door. Mike turned to me again.

"I'd sit with you, but Banner likes us in seats that he picks." I grimaced.

"That's okay, Mike."

We entered at the same time, then I went to the front of the class and the teacher's desk while he shuffled to his own seat. I looked up and saw he was seated next to Jessica. He looked decidedly uncomfortable. Feeling sorry for him, I turned back and addressed the teacher. He smiled warmly at me (which was nice) and directed me towards the last empty seat, next to…holy crap. It was her.

"Miss Cullen will be your lab partner for this term, Isabella," the teacher finished, as I slid onto the stool next to Alice. She smiled, but it was measured, almost as if she were afraid to be herself around me.

"Hi, Bella. I'm Alice." She stuck out her hand, and I took it. _Her body temperature is freezing…_ at this point I took notice of her scent. _What the…_it was her! That intoxicating, exquisite fragrance…I took several deep breaths before I could control myself, my nostrils flaring. Then I realised that I'd probably been holding her hand for far too long.

Quickly, before seeming more like a freak than I'd already come off as, I let go of her hand. Something flashed across her face…hurt?...as she turned back to the front of the class. My thoughts were running wild. _It's her…she smells _soo_ good! But wait…what was she doing outside my window at night?_ I sat up a bit straighter. Huh? That was a point. As far as I knew, it wasn't normal practice for insanely beautiful girls to stand near my window at night. I mean, the only things that did that were…but then I hadn't sensed any, even thought there were definitely _somethings _outside the house last night. _Ugh, my head hurts._

Shaking my head slightly to clear the confusing thoughts from my brain, I looked up to see her staring at me. Smirking, I raised an eyebrow at her quizzically and she just shrugged. I felt oddly at ease when I was with her, so I just grinned, and tuned back into the teacher in time to hear him say that we would be working with our lab partners on a week-long assignment to be handed in on the next Monday. When he was done, I shifted to look at Alice. She seemed to be staring off into the distance, but came back to the present went I waved my hand in front of her face. She groaned in annoyance, quietly. I felt a bit hurt, but started off a conversation anyway.

"So-"

I was interrupted by the classroom door opening once more. It was bed head boy, uh wassisname…Edward. The gay looking predator person. What's he doing here? Do they have a lack of chairs in this school, since there is appears to be no place for him?

He threw a slip down on the teacher's desk. "Sorry, Mr Banner. Last minute schedule change." The teacher just nodded and pointed to…our desk? Um…

Edward walked towards us, simply grinning at Alice. She scowled darkly in return, then got up from her seat with a flounce and was gone from the classroom, sending me an apologetic (?) smile as she went. Edward appeared to bear his teeth at her slightly before sliding into the seat she had previously occupied. My nose immediately began to sting. Turning my head away subtly, I tried to get away from his smell. Too sickly sweet, it reminded me of when I was five, and ate too many sweets, and the feeling of being incredibly sick afterwards. Then I realised.

Okay. What. The. Hell.

Both Edward and Alice were outside my house last night. Both of them. Edward's lips began moving, but I just couldn't bring myself to try and focus. I was still in a daze, what with my brain overloading and everything.

"…so I was thinking we could do this in the library, or maybe at your house, if you want." I caught the end of his speech, and nearly threw up when he sent me a crooked smile that he must have thought was charming. What was up with him and his hopeless flirting? Is his gaydar broken? Or is he in denial? Either way, it looked like he was expecting me to swoon and do whatever he wanted. If he carried on like this, I was going to get seriously pissed off. Summoning up my best fake smile, I replied as politely as I could.

"Edward, listen. I really would feel more comfortable keeping this on school grounds, okay? And by the way, I don't know what you're trying to pull, but I'm not interested. I'm sorry." For a moment his face darkened and his nostrils flared. My instincts screamed at me that this guy was _dangerous_, but why on earth would he be dangerous to me? After all, what human guy could hurt me? As quickly as it came, his expression was covered by a strained mask.

"That's okay. Library it is."

We didn't talk much more than necessary after than that, although every so often he'd look as if he was about to say something, then thought better of it. At the end of class, I raced out of the room as fast as I could. It wasn't like I had anything against him per se, he just gave off bad vibes, and I really wanted to see as little of him as possible. His sister on the other hand…

In an attempt to distract myself from daydreaming any more, I studied my schedule to discover that my final lesson of the day was gym. Oh the joy. I wasn't clumsy or anything like that; I was more averse to gym because, at my last school anyway, since I had been officially dubbed as a 'dyke', changing arrangements had become somewhat problematic. In other words, all the paranoid girly girls were scared I was gonna ogle them or something. So not the case. Still, new school new start I suppose.

Dragging my feet towards where I felt the gym would be, I ended up getting lost. Feeling like an utter idiot, I managed to wonder the halls for a good half hour before making it to the gym, by which time the coach had simply told me to watch from the bleachers and that I would start the next day. Which gave me plenty of time to watch Alice play dodge ball.

Oh yes, she was in my gym class too. Well, no longer in my bio class, but in my gym class at least. It was quite fascinating to watch her move, almost lazily, weaving in and out of the flying balls with a grace that I had seen nobody else achieve before. And when she was hit, it almost looked like she had let it happen, rather than it being some fault of her own. Needless to say, the lesson ended way too quickly for my liking. Grabbing my messenger and jacket, I headed back towards the parking lot, keen to be out of this place and into the comfort of solitude.

"Bella!"

I sighed inwardly. What does he want now? Turning reluctantly, I acknowledged the dishevelled Edward jogging towards me with hands on my hips, looking at him expectantly.

"Don't you want to start on this project?" he gestured towards the library. _Not likely mate. I need to _relax_. I can't possibly do that with you breathing down my neck._

"Sorry. I have to go food shop; Charlie doesn't seem to like keeping food in the house," I lied quickly. He nodded like he understood, and I turned to go when a pixie turned up at my side, bouncing on the balls of her feet. _Aaand I think my brain just fell out._

"Hi Bella! How was Bio? Sorry we didn't get to talk much, but I was needed elsewhere." In a valiant attempt, my brain connected with the rest of me in record time and I managed to muster up a reply.

"It wasn't too bad, thanks. Although it really is the most boring subject in itself." I rolled my eyes, hoping to subtly convey my irritation.

"Oh believe me, I know. So I was thinking that you could come shopping with me this Saturday, since I couldn't help but notice that your current style doesn't really flatter your body like it could, and I could help you?"

Shopping. Shopping? Ohh Alice, why'd it have to be shopping? Movie night? Sure. Cliff diving? Yeah. So long as I get to see you. But shopping?

"Yeah, sure Alice," I breathed, wondering what I'd just agreed to.

"Great. So I'll come pick you up around 8am? We'll only be able to go to Port Angeles; Seattle is too far, but we'll still have fun. See you later Bella!" And with that the little whirlwind skipped off once more, leaving me wondering how on earth I was going to get through a day of shopping with just Alice.

* * *

**A/N So what did you think? Review!**


	4. Scouting

**A/N A million apologies to all you lovely people who reviewed and favved. As it tends to do, life has thrown shit my way and gotten in the way of my writing. Still, i should be able to update more soon. For now, enjoy the next chapter! Oh, and Stephenie Meyer owns all.**

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**APOV**

I was positively vibrating as I slid into the backseat of Edward's Volvo. The family kept on giving me funny looks, and Edward was scowling at my thoughts, but I couldn't help it. _I'll finally get to meet her today…_

We pulled up in our usual space in the lot, but before I could look around for Bella the bell rang. _Damn it! Worst timing ever. _Skipping quietly to lessons in my usual bubbly manner, I took a seat and let my mind wander to the events that had come to pass since I'd been at Bella's window.

Edward hadn't caught me there, nor did he know that I'd stayed after he left from my thoughts – I'd been very careful with my thinking. I'd gone to find Jasper soon after, hoping that he'd cooled off enough to allow me to explain. But what I found was Esme dry sobbing, saying that he'd said he was 'leaving the family for a while'. My heart shattered further. Jasper was safe, and he was natural to me; he was a known quantity, and comforting. That comfort was now gone, for at least ten years, if my visions were right.

After apologising profusely to Esme, I'd returned to the house to pick out an outfit for tomorrow, to reflect my new decision; I wasn't allowed to reveal my romantic feelings to Bella, but that didn't stop me from being her friend, did it now? And if in doing so she developed feelings for me, then I couldn't be blamed, could I?

I was zipping in and out of my closet like a mad person, getting frustrated that I couldn't find the right outfit, when Rosalie surprised me by appearing at the door. I acknowledged her, then went back to my task. She spoke whilst I moved.

"Y'know, I really have nothing against you at all, Alice. You know that. But if you are both so adamant that one of you be involved with this…human, well…" She took a deep breath. "But we all know that it is Edward who has the most control." She said this last part in a rush. I moved to stand in front of her, giving her eye contact.

"I know, Rose. I'm not mad at you. I'm just a little upset that people even agreed to _vote_ on the girl's fate. Shouldn't it be her choice, really?" She had nothing to say. _And _that_, my friend, is Edward's manipulation at work. In the heat of the moment, they don't question. But afterwards, it doesn't hold up…_

In the end I was forced to simply shove on the clothes I had to hand, as we were already late and I was still undecided. Unsatisfied, I'd made my way over to Edward's stupid, ugly car. _Can't believe he _chose_ that for a car…_

"Miss Cullen, would you like to repeat what I just said?"

Snapping out of my reverie, I sweetly dictated the last two minutes of his lecture, then went back to staring out of the window. _Damn stupid teachers. Can't you recognise a bored pupil when you see one?_

Lunchtime was usually a quiet affair, although I always thought we looked like idiots getting whole trays of food just to sit there and not eat it; couldn't we go home for 'lunch', or something? But today, everyone was talking, and according to Edward thinking, about the new girl. _Bella Swan_. Her name certainly befitted her. As soon as we entered the cafeteria, I scanned the tables for her unforgettable face. And there she was, a light blush on her cheeks, from the embarrassment of attention presumably, deep melted chocolate eyes as expressive as before, yet I couldn't fathom her mood. _Where's Jasper when you need him? _I felt guilty as soon as I had thought this. _Jasper._ When I snapped out of my melancholy state, I realised that the others had left me behind, and danced over to our usual table. Half way there, I brought my eyes up to look at Bella once more, and our eyes connected. Her blush deepened as I held her gaze, then slid with ultimate grace into my seat.

She was sitting at the table with Mike and his friends. I shuddered as I saw Jessica seated across from her, and felt sorry that she had to put up with her. How many times had I wanted to put that girl in her place? But we couldn't do that for fear that a fight would break out, and that would raise questions…subconsciously, I listened more carefully to what Jessica was talking to her about. Oh. She was talking about us.

"…And the short one, Alice, she's with Jasper." My heart spiked. _Not anymore._

"The guy with bed hair?" she inquired in the most exquisite voice. It was husky, almost inappropriately so, but still strong and clear. I reigned in my thoughts as I realised what she had just asked. Me with Edward? I snorted at the same time he did. _Hee hee, she said he had bed hair!_ My more immature inner thoughts giggled away to themselves.

I tuned back into the conversation just in time to hear Bella asking when my brother had turned Jessica down. I began chuckling quietly as I recalled Edward's interesting encounter with the girl. She had practically thrown herself at him on our first day here, in fact, it had taken him prying her off of him like a limpet and a stern reprimand for her to even get the idea that he wasn't interested.

"Nasty slut…" he muttered under his breath. I kicked him gently under the table. _Hey! That's not nice. I know she's a bitch and everything, but you don't have to go around insulting her! She can't help it y'know; we are vampires._ He rolled his eyes and poked at his food, scrunching up his nose slightly at the smell.

"How did she hear me from there?" I heard Jessica whisper, slightly panicked. _Huh? _My head snapped up and round to see Bella smirking at Jessica and Lauren, who were clearly in the process of walking away, and the rest of her table looking at her admiringly. Before anyone else could comment, her cell started ringing. I watched her as she hastily left the cafeteria, letting out a long breath as she went. Everyone else seemed to just shrug and go back to their conversations, but I'm afraid to say that I concentrated on the phone conversation that was now taking place outside.

"Hey Rick!" She greeted the guy on the phone, elated. _Rick? Who's Rick?_ My inner thoughts ranted.

"Hey baby doll! How's it goin'? Bummer that you had to move, but y'know, I always was telling you to be more careful." A masculine voice on the other end returned her greeting with an easy nickname and some light banter. Is he her boyfriend? Damn, never thought of that one. No, of course she'd have a boyfriend. Ugh! Stupid, stupid…

"Sure, sure, Rick. So when you comin' down?" _He's moving here too? Ohh this is soo going down the pan…_ I felt my heart sinking as I slumped further into my seat. Edward had a noticeable frown plastered across his face, his thick eyebrows knotting together.

"Come on. Let's go." He got up abruptly, and went to dump his tray, leaving the rest of us in his wake. Rosalie gave me a questioning look, but Emmett, who had clearly been listening also, took this opportunity to voice his opinion.

"Whoo hoo! Eddie boy didn't like that much, now did he Sprite?" I grinned at his affectionate nickname for me, and at his joking expression. He really was a great guy to have around.

"No Emmett, I believe Eddie boy did not like that _at_ _all_," I replied. Of course, I was definitely bummed out about that myself, but the way Edward didn't even bother to hide it was quite amusing. I giggled again. "Come on, let's get to class."

* * *

Despite the possibility of Bella having a boyfriend, I was still excited to meet her. I'd had a vision of her sitting next to me in Bio earlier on today, so now I would finally get to talk to her! Still, I really did have to be cautious. I just _knew_ Edward would be listening to my every thought, and if I put a toe out of line there would be hell to pay; I swear Edward must have a gift for mind control as well as mind reading. _Stupid control freak brother._

So when Mr Banner directed her to the seat beside me, my smile was controlled, not a natural jaw-splitting grin that I wanted. She returned it ever so slightly, the corner of her rose-coloured lips tilting upwards slightly. It took a noticeable effort for me not to close my eyes as her incredible scent washed over me, relieved to discover that it did not make my throat burn in the slightest. With my head spinning, I stuck out my hand and introduced myself. She took it gently, and I noticed her own nostrils flaring. This puzzled me, but I promptly shook it off. We all smelled nice to humans, it was part of our hunter-prey thing.

The warmth of her hand was blissful and strangely comforting…and then suddenly it was gone. She ripped her hand from mine. Sadness passed over me as I turned to pay attention to the teacher, masking over the sudden emotion. _I bet Eddie is laughing himself silly now. Was my hand too cold? Does she not like me?_ I turned back to gaze at her face, memorising the features; the subtle curve of her brows and the small line between them that seemed to appear when she was concentrating, her thick, dark lashes framing those enchanting eyes…which were currently gazing into my own with an amused sparkle; she raised an eyebrow at me.

Embarrassed at having been caught staring, but not wanting to show it, I shrugged nonchalantly, and she grinned in return. Mr Banner had just started briefing us on the projects we were doing this week, when suddenly the future changed course. I saw Edward sitting in my seat, Edward working with her in Bio. I came back to the present to see a hand being waved in front of my face. _Oh good, she's gonna think that I'm some kinda freak too._ I groaned too low for human ears at the prospect of losing time with Bella, but the girl in question sat back on her stool, looking hurt. Maybe I hadn't been as quiet as I'd thought, and she'd interpreted my annoyance to be directed at her…_Well this is a great first meeting, isn't it Alice?_

"So-" She began to speak, but was distracted when my prima donna brother entered the classroom. With much effort I held back the growl that threatened to burst forth as he swaggered up to Bella and I. Scowling and burning a hole in his forehead, I got up from my stool, flashing an apologetic smile towards Bella as I went, and left the classroom.

Since I'd been kicked out of my lesson, I presumed that I was required to attend the lesson that Edward was supposed to be in. _Hmm, Drama. Well, I always did love the arts._ I was trudging off in the direction of the relevant classroom when I felt the tingling of a vision begin. Ducking into the nearest bathroom, I braced myself against the sink and let it wash over my senses.

At first, all I saw was a blur of images, quick and constantly changing, but after a moment it became more focused, as if someone was tuning a television inside of me. And then the screen went utterly blank; all I could hear were the voices. Or one voice, really. Bella's.

"_Edward, who the hell do you think you are to presume what I will do and who I will do it with? I barely even know you, and yet you seem to think you have the authority to order me around? Fuck that, Edward, and fuck you too!"_

"_Edward, I don't like guys like that, I like girls, okay? So just piss off and leave me alone, because I don't want you constantly babbling in my ear and giving me a headache!"_

"_Edward, I don't know what you're trying to pull, but I'm just not interested."_

Her decisions were changing rapidly, every couple of seconds or so. But one thing was very clear; _she did not like Edward._ As I emerged from the vision, I was simply too elated to worry about the strangeness in the manner that the vision had come, and instead jumped for joy. In one of the scenarios, she'd even said she was gay! Did I really have a chance with her after all? Rick could just be her friend, really; I'd jumped to conclusions.

Since there wasn't really any point in going to Drama by the time I emerged from the bathroom, I headed towards Gym instead. Now here was the most frustrating class of the day. It took more concentration than you might think to play dodge ball in pace with other humans when you are a future-seeing vampire. And of course, at some point I needed to let myself get hit before someone took too much notice of me. After I'd let myself get out for the third time, I twisted towards the bleachers, from where I had felt eyes watching me. My eyes came to rest on Bella, who was currently talking with the Coach, but I knew she had been watching me a moment ago. A small smile tugged at my lips as the whistle blew for us to go again.

As I changed, I pondered on what I could do to spend more time with Bella. Since that vision had all but proved Bella's dislike for Edward, there was now nothing to stop me from taking her out. And I knew exactly where we would go – shopping! I hadn't been _so_ captivated by her flawless face that I hadn't also subconsciously taken in what she was wearing, and I knew for a fact that she definitely didn't flaunt her body like she could. Well, a day's shopping with me could fix that! _If she wants to go with me that is…she might be scared of us like most of the student body is._ I shook my head before the doubts swirling around my head could take root. I'll just have to take my chances.

I walked out into the parking lot, pleased to see that Bella hadn't left yet, and was heading towards her truck. But before I could get to her, there was Edward, jogging over and asking her something about the project that they were supposed to be doing. Again, I barely suppressed a growl, but I was happy to see that Bella wasn't enthused either. In fact, she looked pretty fed up. Maybe it was time to go rescue her.

I bounced up beside her, grinning probably a little too widely. "Hi Bella! How was Bio? Sorry we didn't get to talk much, but I was needed elsewhere."

Her frown quickly turned into a grin when she registered my presence. "It wasn't too bad, thanks. Although it really is the most boring subject in itself." She rolled her eyes and I giggled as I guessed Edward had bugged her throughout.

"Oh believe me, I know. So I was thinking that you could come shopping with me this Saturday, since I couldn't help but notice that your current style doesn't really flatter your body like it could, and I could help you?" I asked, my voice maybe going a little too high at the last bit. _Say yes say yes say yes say yes…_

"Yeah, sure Alice," she replied. It took all of my control not to squeal and crush her in a hug.

"Great. So I'll come pick you up around 8am? We'll only be able to go to Port Angeles; Seattle is too far, but we'll still have fun. See you later Bella!" I skipped off again before Edward could say anything, reminding him of Bella's annoyed expression as he was talking to her in my head.

* * *

**BPOV**

I drove home in a cheerful haze, having picked up some food from the store on my way. I was going out with Alice! Well, not on a date, not yet. And shopping too…that would probably bring a few complications. I'd have to ask Rick for advice on that one. Charlie's cruiser wasn't in the driveway, and didn't look like he'd return soon, so I let myself move at my more natural pace.

With me, there were quite a few things out of the ordinary. For one, my senses were a lot stronger than a human's, meaning I had to be very mindful of what I said and to make sure I didn't say anything in reply to something I shouldn't have heard. An easy mistake to make, but a vital one. _One that I made today…_ And possibly my favourite part of this whole crazy thing was that I could move _very _quickly. And wasn't that a bitch to try and hide from the humans? Imagine trying to walk in slow motion, then imagine having to do that 24/7. Annoying, right? So any chance I got to relax was eagerly taken.

I was interrupted from my mental musings when I heard the phone ring. Zipping to the phone in less than a second, I checked the caller ID. It was Renee. Groaning quietly, I left the phone on the stand and continued to put the food away quickly, before heading to my room and once again throwing myself on the bed. Alice's scent had long since gone, but even the memory of it served to calm me.

It wasn't that I didn't want to speak to my mom; I just couldn't. I'd told her I was leaving for Forks, and she'd finally okayed it, but insisted that she went to see me off. I couldn't have handled that, because that would mean it was final; that I would never come back. So I'd changed the time of the plane ticket online and slipped out of my window before sunrise, leaving a note so she wouldn't be worried. But she'd definitely be mad at me now, and I don't think I was quite ready for my good mood to be spoilt. Instead, I reached for an extra mirror, pulled my shirt off and stood in front of the full-length. Slowly, and angling the mirror so I could see my back, I smeared off the concealer that was on my neck and back. Where my hand moved, there was left deep, inky black swirls, almost like rose vines.

I sighed, contemplating them for a bit. They were what marked me as different. And what I needed to hide at all costs; with changing in and out of outfits all day, it was very likely that the make-up would start to come off, or at the very least flake. It only took a small amount to be revealed before it was game over. And I wanted to stay here, with Alice, a bit longer than that.

Removing the rest of the make-up, I decided that tonight would be a good night to scout the area, and familiarise myself with the place. I'd need it if anything did show up here, and I was mindful of what Rick had told me earlier today. So I changed into a plain black tank top, hoodie and some nice, loose fitting jog pants, scribbled a note to Charlie that I'd gone out with friends and hopped out of my window, onto the tree branch next to it. _Hmm, very convenient. I might have to use this exit more often…_Pulling up my hood, I ran.

At first I simply ran for the fun of it. It'd been a few days since I'd really let myself go, and I revelled at the speed that I could never reach in the rust bucket I had just driven from school. I pushed myself until my muscles burned, and then some. After a while though, I suddenly detected a shift in the air. Or, more a shift in the nature around me. Sniffing carefully, I detected a definite border between scents; whereas now I could smell all the odours of the forest, if I just took one step forward…all I got was wet dog. My nose crinkled. _Why does it smell of Jacob here?_

Behind me, I heard something move. A twig snapped, and I whirled around, my muscles taught, eyes searching. _Stupid, stupid, STUPID! You forgot your blades, you idiot!_ I felt my muscles tense further as adrenaline coursed through my veins, and inside my brain was screaming a mantra that was all too familiar: _Fight or flight? Fight or flight? FIGHT OR FLIGHT? _

Narrowing my eyes, I tried to make out what it was. But without my sense of smell, I couldn't focus in on where it was. Panic rose in my throat. _FLIGHT!_

Without another thought, my coiled up limbs released in a frenzy as I sprinted back through the forest at breakneck speed, taking a flying leap straight through my window and with great effort managing not to crash into the wardrobe. _Holy hell._ My door creaked open.

"You alright Bells? I thought I heard a thump up here?" My clueless father's face appeared round the door, eyebrows knitted together in worry. Trying my hardest not to look like I was lying, I rubbed the back of my head.

"Uh, yeah. No biggie Ch-Dad; I just fell off my bed."

"Well, alright then. Glad to hear you've been making friends already." For a moment I stared at him blankly. Then I remembered the note I'd left on the table; I'd been so preoccupied with my previous carelessness that I'd made yet another little slip up. _Dammit._

"Uh, yeah. I'm glad too. First days are always the worst," I laughed nervously. Charlie nodded slowly, then disappeared from sight. I let out a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding.

Shakily, I sat down on my bed. I could feel my body beginning to ache, and I knew that I would have to sleep soon; the disadvantage of super speed was you got tired out quite easily if a lot of exertion is carried out at once. But I needed to contact Rick first. Dialling his number, I fell back on my pillow and waited for it to connect.

"Heya Bells!"

"Hey Rick. How's it been going?"

"Ah, not too bad actually. I'm coping without you, at least!"

"Aww, I feel so loved, Rick" He chuckled at our playful banter.

"But you didn't call to hear me take the piss outta you. What's up?"

"I'm kinda going shopping with a friend at the weekend, and I was wondering if you had any advice tattoo-wise." There was a slight pause.

"Can't say I've really been in that situation myself Bells, so I wouldn't know. I guess all you can really do is apply the stuff extra thick and cross your fingers. Who's the friend?"

"Her name's Alice. She's really nice, and I think we're gonna be good friends."

"Glad you've got a friend already. You were always so lonely here in Phoenix. She's not suspicious, right? 'Cos you know you have to bail if things get too iffy." I sighed at his stern tone.

"Yeah, I know Rick. Laters." I pressed the 'end call' button.

Why didn't I tell him about all the weird things going on? I should have done really. But maybe I didn't feel comfortable talking about these things when Charlie could be listening in (hey, you never know what cop equipment he might be using). Whatever it was, I really had a feeling that telling Rick about Alice and Edward would not be a good idea. But I did know that something strange was going on in this town, specifically with the Cullens, it seemed.

Stripping off my clothes, I flung them into the laundry hamper and slipped on an oversized shirt, then clambered into bed. And as my eyes started to droop, I could have sworn that Alice's scent was there once more, enveloping me like a blanket. I smiled.


	5. The Hunt

**A/N Next chapter up already! I'm so proud of myself! As ever, my thanks and a virtual cookie for all my reviewers; I love you guys!**

**APOV**

I reached the house before the others, since Edward had, in his childishness, refused me a lift in his car. I had run home instead, and now stood in front of the picturesque building that was over one hundred years old, marvelling at its beauty. We'd all had a hand in renovating it a couple of years ago, and the memories of Emmett hanging from the rafters and fixing the lighting still brought a grin to my face. Sighing as nostalgia washed over me, I zipped through the front door.

I found Esme in the kitchen, contemplating the cookery channel and the steak in front of her, her head cocked slightly to the side. It truly was an amusing sight.

"Hey Mom. What's with the steak?" Smiling at my greeting, she looked up at me, her eyes twinkling.

"I figured that since Edward's supposed soul mate was here, then sooner or later she would be brought to meet us; and we must keep up our appearances! Besides, cooking could be my new favourite hobby!"

I giggled along with her as she puzzled over the herbs lying out on the counter. Then it came to me that I might do well to get in before Edward on at least one person in the coming shit storm.

"Esme, something happened today at school." I immediately had her attention.

"I hope you aren't fighting already, dear."

"Well, not exactly. The girl, her name's Bella; she didn't exactly seem too enthused at Edward's 'charm'," I brought my hands up in air quotes. "In fact, she pretty much shot him down before he even asked her out. Trouble is, I think Edward is having a hard time accepting it."

"What's this sister? Poisoning others' opinions against me again?" With immense effort, I refrained from slamming my brother's head into the ground and sitting on it. Instead, I turned and smiled sweetly at his figure, which was currently slouched against the doorframe.

"Not at all Edward, I was merely informing Esme of today's occurrences. Is that not usual?"

"Come on Bro, you gotta admit she wasn't exactly feelin' you," Emmett appeared like a guardian angel, patting my irate brother on the shoulder lightly.

"No, she just…she hasn't gotten used to me yet. After all, we are vampires," he said, as if it was the magic excuse for everything.

"She seemed fine with Alice," Rosalie pointed out as she stepped to her mate's side. Edward twisted to her.

"Whose side are you on, Rose?" he whined. My sister scoffed at him.

"Everybody present knows I voted in your favour because you would be less likely to expose us. However, everybody present also knows that I am strongly opposed to a person forcing themselves onto another person." Emmett drew in breath sharply at this. We all remembered her past.

"By all means, continue to pursue her if you really think it's going to work, but no bugging her consistently or hanging off her if she displays any negative emotions towards you. Remember Jessica?" Edward shivered. "Well the way you are going, you might start acting like the way she did to you." He started to protest.

"But that's different, she wasn't my-"

"And neither is Bella, as far as we can tell. All we have to go on is your word, which does seem to be a bit on the biased side at the moment, Edward," Carlisle cut him off as he entered the room. "Now, since everyone is in one place, I should probably tell you about some happenings at the surgery today." Our sibling rivalry momentarily forgotten, we all listened intently to our paternal figure.

"It seems that something…not human has been operating in the area. A boy was sent to me today, his name was Ben Cheney. There were severe lacerations on his neck and upper torso, although there was no sign of any drainage; the blood loss was no more than to be expected. I've never seen anything like this before, and when the patient finally came to he could tell me nothing about what happened. He could only recall darkness, he said. I'm telling you this now so that you can all be on your guard. This is not the operation of the human, that much I am certain. It wouldn't have been one of us, because he'd be well dead by now. None of the boy's values were taken, and he was left alive. That pretty much rules out anything of a human consciousness. Alice, have you seen anything in your visions about this?"

I shook my head in the negative. This was worrying. "But I'll keep an eye out." He nodded, and turned to Edward.

"And you haven't noticed any strange thoughts, Edward?" He too, shook his head.

"Well, now you all know, you're free to go. And I don't want to be hearing anything about you harassing Bella, Edward."

With that, Carlisle departed for his study. Edward stalked off to his own room in a huff, his previous state of prissiness restored. Esme had turned up the cooking channel where a bearded guy was expertly chopping onions and Rose and Emmet…had settled with making out on the couch.

"Nice," I declared sarcastically as I flopped down into an armchair and flicked on the TV.

"Just 'cos you don't got nobody, short stuff," Emmett replied. I snickered.

"That didn't even make grammatical sense, Emmett."

"So?"

Thinking to help Esme, I returned to the kitchen, but was reminded of my burning thirst when the scent of the raw steak filled my nostrils.

"I'm going to hunt."

_How did I end up here again? I could have sworn I was going to sate my thirst, and take my mind off things. Not crouch on the branch outside Bella's window to watch her sleep. Crap, I'm turning into Edward. _Even with these thoughts, I still couldn't take my mind off the sleeping form in front of me. She'd left her window open, inviting her scent out into the open where it was taken in by me eagerly. Is it possible for a vampire to breathe too much? Because I certainly was. _I should go._

I was just turning to leave, when I heard her mumble something. Intrigued, for she was clearly still sleeping, I stayed to listen.

"No way…" _What? _I cocked my head to the side. Was this a nightmare?

"But if you aren't…what are you?" Oh. That didn't sound good.

"Jake! Get out of here…you don't know what you're…" _Jake? Who's Jake? _Bella was now tossing and turning, her heart rate speeding up. _I think it's time for me to leave._

Spinning around, I launched myself off the branch and speeded away from the house.

**BPOV**

_Edward was stalking me. He looked even more feral than usual, and he had red eyes. The exact same shade as the creatures that I hunted. But when I tried to impale him with my blades as he leapt for me, they bounced off his skin. He cackled._

"_Silly _Azhiya_, don't you know that I'm not one of them? I'm _much_ more powerful, you see." I shook my head vigorously._

"_No way, you can't be…how do you know our name?" He laughed again._

"_Your disbelief makes you a fool. Fine. Wallow in your ignorance." He turned to leave._

"_But if you aren't…what are you?" His crimson eyes bored into mine, a cruel amusement dancing in them._

"_But, have you not been told? We are the origins of the creatures you slay. We are known as _Vampires_."_

_I stumbled back, putting as much distance between us as I could. That just wasn't possible. Vampires we supposed to be gone._

"_Bella!"_

_To my utter disbelief, I peered into the distance to see Jacob jogging towards me, a grin on his face. Edward growled violently and Jake's face fell._

"_Jake, get out of here, you don't know what you're doing!" I tried desperately to warn him off. Instead, his body began to shake rapidly. Then he leapt forward, and he exploded into a gigantic, russet coloured wolf. Edward and Jacob then began circling each other menacingly, growling all the while. _

"_What the hell is going on here?" I froze, as I swung my head round to my left at that familiar voice. Alice was standing there, hands on her hips, a frown on her face. This frown was quickly replaced by fear as both Edward and Jacob leapt for her…_

"Alice!"

I shot straight up in bed, calling out in panic as the very vivid dream left me drained. I shook my head, trying to clear the dregs of fear from my mind. _Was this a warning? Should I not get involved with Alice? Or was it all simply a dream, a figment of my imagination?_ I sincerely hoped for the second option.

I checked my clock, and decided that I might as well get up and have a shower before Charlie ran the hot water out again.

Dumping my sticky nightshirt, I stepped under the blissfully warm stream of water and proceeded to wash away all the sweat my horrific dream had produced on my skin. I washed my hair too, losing myself momentarily in the mountain strawberry scent. _But it's not nearly as good as Alice's_.

The tension in my muscles all but gone, I wrapped myself in my towel and padded back into my room. Taking my time, I painstakingly applied the concealer to my back and dressed myself in a red and black miniskirt and white long-sleeved dress shirt.

Finally satisfied with my reflection, I sat down on my bed and once again checked the clock. _Just enough time to do my homework and have some breakfast._ I was quite pleased with myself.

I was just stepping out the door when I heard Charlie descending to the kitchen. I turned to grin at him.

"Overslept, Dad?" He shook his head.

"Nothin' to worry about kiddo. I'll be good to go as soon as I've got some food in me. Have a good day at school."

I settled into my truck with a smile on my face. Charlie was a good guy really; he'd just been alone for too long.

No sooner had I pulled into the lot than Eric, came jogging up to me, a frustrated look on his face.

"Bella, thank God you're here. I don't suppose you're any good at calming people down, are you? Angela's been driving us all nuts." Pausing for a moment, I recalled the girl that had been sitting a couple of seats away from me at lunch yesterday to be Angela. She was genuinely kind to me, and a good person.

"What's up?" I asked, prepared to help in any way I could.

"It's her boyfriend, Ben. Yesterday evening something attacked him; he had bad slashes all over his body. He's gonna be okay, but there was a whole load of blood, and she…she was the one to find him. She's been sobbing uncontrollably since then."

Alarm bells were going off in my head. _Was this the same one from last night?_ I had to get some answers.

"Does Ben remember anything about what happened?" Eric shook his head.

"Absolutely nothing. Said it was all a big blank. Guess he musta been knocked out or somethin'."

"Musta been," I murmured, my mind buzzing. _You idiot! You could've saved everybody a whole lot of bother if you'd remembered to take your blades with you last night! Now you're gonna have to get to the guy before…_

"Hey, Bella! Anybody in there?" I was snapped out of my daze when Eric waved a hand in front of my face.

"Uh, yeah sorry 'bout that," I mumbled. He laughed.

"S'okay, I do it all the time! Oh, hey, we better get going," he said as the bell rang.

All throughout my morning lessons, all I could think about was how it was my fault that Ben had suffered, and how Angela was going through all this grief because of my mistakes. The guilt brought my mood right down to rock bottom, so much so that the others at my table started to worry about me. Even, Mike falling on his ass when somebody whipped his chair out from under him couldn't bring a smile to my face.

My stupor was momentarily broken when I subconsciously picked up on a conversation coming from the Cullen table. _Wow, I was so bugged out I didn't even notice Alice enter._

"Edward, give it a rest. She totally ignored you when you tried to talk to her in the corridor earlier, and she seems intent on keeping to herself. You'll only embarrass yourself and us by doing this." I assumed that to be Rosalie, although I didn't turn round.

"Nonsense, she'll be flattered. You watch!" My teeth ground together when I heard Edward's voice. Please_ don't tell me he's talking about me._

Apparently he was.

"Good afternoon, Bella. I was wondering if you'd like to join me for lunch?" His slimy voice suffocated me. I turned slowly, and smiled politely at him. But my mouth? Let's just say it sort of ran away with me.

"Sorry Edward, I'd much rather stay where I am. Besides, isn't it kinda rude to just abandon your family like that?"

His mouth opened and closed for several moments. _Oops._

"Dude! I think she broke him," I head the guy named Emmett whisper. I tried _very_ hard not to laugh.

Seemingly trying to maintain what little dignity he had left, Edward gathered himself together and put on a strained smile.

"Maybe some other time then." With that, he turned on his heel and stalked back to his seat. I turned back around to find a table full of people gawking at me. Angela, forgetting her grief, was the first to break the silence,

"Bella, forgive me if I'm wrong, but did you just _turn down_ Edward Cullen?" I frowned.

"What, is that a crime?"

"Well, no, it's just you're the first person he's even talked to outside of the family."

"And I'm supposed to be flattered and swoon at his feet, right?" Angela smiled softly.

"I see your point."

"Well, I don't! You're crazy, Bella, and if Edward is feeling lonely, I guess I'm just gonna have to go and comfort him because he was obviously grasping at straws when he invited you." Jessica stood abruptly, and after her little speech, made to go over to the Cullens. Mike pulled her back, hissing in her ear.

"Save yourself the embarrassment, Jess. We all remember what happened the last time you tried something like that." Again with the sniggering from the Cullens. Could they tell what Jessica was going to do?

"Ugh, fine." Jessica slumped into her seat once more, glaring at anyone who even looked like they were laughing.

Biology was a nightmare. Edward just wouldn't take no for an answer. I was contemplating force at one point, but decided I could really do without blowing my cover on the second day. Instead, I counted down the minutes until Gym, where I could talk to Alice again. As I shifted out of my seat at the end of class, I felt an ice cold grip on my wrist. Clenching my jaw, I ripped my arm from Edward's hand and left the room without looking back. I hoped this time he would take the hint. If not, I might have to talk to Alice about him.

I reached the gym in good time, and was ready for the torture of trying to play sports normally with super strength and super speed. _Gah! Why'd it have to be dodge ball, why?_

After we'd been separated into teams, the class took up their positions. I noticed that Alice was on the opposite side to me. Great.

The whistle blew, and I began to dodge and weave. It was monumentally frustrating that I could not go at my normal pace, and I'm sure I slipped up a couple of times in the beginning, but after a bit I got into the pace of things. Then a ball skimmed past my ear. I looked up just in time to see Alice grinning cheekily at me from across the way. _Oh, it's on._

Catching the next ball that flew my way, I aimed it _just so_ at the dancing pixie. But somehow, she managed to avoid it. Surprised, I continued my movements, until I managed to catch another ball. This time I put a bit more power and speed into it…and she dodged it again! All the while she was just grinning at me.

I didn't notice until a few seconds later that the field was thinning out. _Time to make a convincing bomb out, I think._

Taking a dive, making it look as if I was grabbing for another ball, I jumped right into the path of an oncoming one, successfully getting hit and myself out. Picking myself up the floor, I was surprised to see that Alice had followed suit. She sat down against the wall and motioned me over. I smiled, and walked over to her, pausing for just a millisecond to let myself adjust to her alluring scent.

"Hey," I said, seating myself next to her.

"Hey yourself. Y'know, you're better than I expected; I thought you'd be clumsy." I chuckled.

"Yeah, well. Looks can be deceiving." I glanced sideways, grinning at her. She had her head tilted back to the wall, her eyes closed. "You're not so bad yourself."

She shrugged. "I'm small."

A comfortable silence fell as balls bounced across the open space.

"I don't suppose you could help me, but Edward's been bugging me a lot today; I just don't think he's got the message that I'm not interested." She turned to me.

"He doesn't interest you? Why, had someone else caught your eye?" She quirked an eyebrow. I fought down a blush.

"Not necessarily – he just isn't my type."

"What is your type, then?" _You._ I shrugged.

"Not guys, usually."

Silence.

"Does that bother you?"

"Not at all; I'd be lying if I said I didn't also share that taste." I let out a shaky breath. _She likes girls too? Yay! Go me!_ She turned to me, a sparkle in her amber eyes, smirking. Then a thought struck me.

"Aren't you going out with a guy named Jasper, though?" Her smile immediately faded, and I regretted my words.

"We, um, we broke up over the vacation." She looked down at her feet.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, really. Come on, Coach wants us to go again." She got up and offered a hand to me. I took it gladly, closing my eyes at the pleasant tingles that shot up my arm. When I opened them, I noticed she was doing the same thing. _Did she feel it, too?_

I took a deep breath. "Come on."

Gym with Alice was good, and my mood was lifted to a state of euphoria temporarily at the discovery that she was gay, but as we said our goodbyes and headed in opposite directions, I plummeted into guilt and worry once more as I was reminded of Ben Cheney. Angela had said in lunch that he was still at the hospital, recovering. That meant I was going to have to go in there. I sighed inwardly as I drove home. _No sleep for me tonight._

Once I reached home I set about preparations for my night out. I texted Rick giving him and update on the situation here in Forks and asking after him. Then I rushed around the house, making dinner for Charlie and ramming some food down my own mouth. I cleaned and oiled my blades, removed the concealer from my tattoo and changed into my hunting clothes – plain black pants with black belts criss-crossed at my waist, with a sheath on each for my blades, and a black tank. I also wore black fingerless gloves. Yes I looked goth, but most of my work was done at night.

Hurriedly scribbling a note with an excuse on it to Charlie, I leapt out my bedroom window and sprinted to the hospital. By now, night had fallen, but the people on graveyard shifts were still going, of course. Crouching low outside the building, I took and experimental sniff. _Ugh! Damn it!_ All I could smell was hospital cleaning fluid i.e. bleach. _I should have thought of that! Now how am I going to find him?_

Steadying myself, I coiled up, then let loose. Scrambling through the window, I dropped silently into the room, and flashed to the patient chart by the bed. _Not him._

In this way I zipped in and out of the rooms, being lucky enough not to be spotted. But no Ben anywhere.

As I was entering what I was pretty sure to be the last room, I heard a distinctive thump coming from the furthest bed. There was a flash, and then…nothing. I ran to the bed. Sure enough, it was Ben Cheney's bed. But he was not in it.

The IV looked like it had been ripped out of his arm, and the equipment had been trashed. Taking a breath, I managed to detect a hint of blood underneath the bleach smell. Following my nose, I leapt up and out the window, and into the trees. A smell of rotting fish mixed with sugar assaulted me. _Shit. Looks like it got here before I did._

Pushing myself to the limit, I sprinted towards the figure that came into sight. Taking a flying leap, I drew my blades and held them to its neck.

"Any last words, Vrykolakas?" I was met with a bout of vicious hissing. "Fair enough. But your days are over." With that, I beheaded the vile creature. As its body fell to the ground, I heard a whimper.

A little way off, in some bushes, was Ben Cheney. He was on the verge of consciousness, but he would not remember anything, thank God. Taking one blade, I sniffed at him until I found what I was looking for, just below the skin of his left wrist. Carefully, I reopened the wound and extracted the ball of sludge that was imbedded there. Throwing it on the pile of creature carcass, I studied the heap. _It was a new one…_Swiftly, I flicked a switch on my blade and set fire to it. Sighing in relief, I settled Ben gently over my shoulder and took him back to the hospital, trying to avoid jostling him too much.

I put him back on his bed, checking him over quickly for any other markings that I should worry about. I found nothing of note, apart from a tiny incision in his neck. But before I could investigate it further, I heard footsteps coming through the hallways. Frustrated, but not wanting to push my luck, I decided it was time that I headed home. Leaping back out of the window and into the darkness, I took one, last, worried look at the boy lying there, before taking off once again.

**A/N So how was that? Y'know, I'm sure my writing style has changed drastically in this chapter…maybe I need more sleep. Hmm…**


	6. Brothers and Sisters

**A/N Sorry it took me so long guys! Took a while for me to get inspiration on this chapter, but I finally did it. My gratitude to all my reviewers and I point out that Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and its characters (mutter, curse etc.)**

**BPOV**

"Bella? Bella!"

I was rudely awoken by a shaking of my shoulder. Groaning, I pried my eyes apart, squinting into the bright sunlight that was pouring in through my open window…wait, sunlight? I sat straight up, nearly knocking over Charlie, who was bending over me, trying to rouse me. He stepped back, then smiled at me, his eyes twinkling.

"Now who's oversleeping, Bells?"

I frowned. Overslept? I normally only slept a maximum of seven hours – to me that was sleeping in.

"Strange…" I muttered, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. "Okay, thanks for waking me, Dad. Wouldn't wanna miss school!" I gave him a half assed smile, and he chuckled in return.

"Whatever you say, Bells. By the way, you have exactly ten minutes before school starts."

I stifled a string of curses, jumping into action immediately. Considerately, Charlie left the house, giving me the opportunity to speed around the house, showering and dressing in two minutes flat. Grabbing a pop tart on my way out the door, I bypassed my rickety truck in favour of a dash through the forest. _I'll be late if I don't. Besides, no-one will notice._

As I ran, I could appreciate the full beauty of this place in daylight. Although the day was, like most, overcast, the light still managed to break through the leaves and permeate into the very core of the forest. _It's a pity that at night this place harbours something darker._

Clearing the trees in a matter of moments, I reached the lot just as the bell rang. Emerging nonchalantly from the foliage, I made my way swiftly into the building, hoping nobody had spotted me. It seemed my luck had run out.

"Hey, Bella!"

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as my pixie bounced up to me. _Wait, _my_ pixie?_ Ignoring that rampant thought, and pushing the worry of my spiralling feelings to the back of my mind, I became conscious just in time to receive a quite unexpected hug from said pixie. I struggled to keep my coherence and to _not_ concentrate on the feel of her body against mine. Breathing deeply, I managed to murmur a 'Hey, Alice' before her entire presence engulfed me once more.

"Sleep well?" Alice asked in her sweet voice as we turned to go off to our lessons.

"Surprisingly well, actually," I nodded, casting a glance at the captivating girl at my side. I detected a small frown in her features when I said this.

"Why? Do you normally have trouble sleeping?" Deciding it probably wasn't best to try and weave a lie around me that I couldn't keep up, I waved off the question.

"No, I just don't normally oversleep – today I did."

She was about to ask something else, but I had reached my classroom by then. _Damn school._

"Well, I'll see you at lunch, Bella. Sit with me?" I was surprised at the request.

"Won't your family mind?" Her expression remained cheery.

"Edward might get jealous, but then he just wouldn't understand. Everybody else will be fine with it; in fact, they'd like to meet you at some point." I nodded, and gulped at the thought of making awkward conversation with the Cullens. As if reading my mind, Alice piped up once more. "Don't worry, they're not as scary as they seem. I gotta get going, but I'll see you in a few hours!"

With this, the pixie placed a delicate peck on my cheek and skipped off. And I was left standing there, like a complete fool, stunned at the thought that Alice Cullen had just _kissed_ me. Okay, it was on the cheek, but still…

**APOV**

Carlisle had arrived back home early this morning; he was really worried. Not bothering to call everybody into one room this time, since we were all in the house, he notified us of the happenings at the hospital as soon as he entered the door.

"The boy who was mauled two days ago was discovered tonight with the IV ripped out of his arm, a wound on his wrist reopened and covered in leaves, twigs and other things. The window was left open, but due to the hospital smell I was unable to detect a scent. I have no idea what happened to him, but I want every single one of you to be on your guard. This just got serious."

I didn't like Carlisle's worried tone as he recounted the events, and immediately slipped into my visions, trying to locate anything out of the ordinary. My efforts were in vain, though.

"We'll all be careful, Carlisle, and we'll so be ready if things get out of hand," I heard Emmett say from his and Rose's room. I sighed. My bear of a brother was always looking for another way to prove his strength. Murmurs of agreement were voiced throughout the house, and I heard Carlisle sigh heavily, before heading to his study. Lying back on my bed, I closed my eyes. Trying to think of _anything_ but this new worry, my mind once more drifted to Bella.

I would never have thought her to be a sporty person, and yet she seemed to handle dodge ball pretty well. I just couldn't resist chucking a couple of balls at her, just to see if I could catch her out, but even when I pushed to the limit of human ability, she still kept at it. I admit, I was getting a bit frustrated, when she suddenly went down, almost too easily, whilst trying to grab another ball. Wanting to speak with her, I had let myself get out too.

You have no idea how my heart _soared_ when she said that she was into girls! I tell you, I had a morbidly difficult time trying not to squeal and jump up and down. Of course, I already kinda knew it, but for her to trust me enough to tell me – she hadn't exactly paraded it around the school – made me blissfully happy. And the way she tried to tactfully convey her annoyance with Edward would be something I could torment him with for days!

I smiled to myself as I remembered the pleasurable tingles I'd experienced when she had taken my hand then. Just being around her instilled in me some kind of hazy elation, like the feeling you get on a sunny summer's day, just lying in a calm place, taking in the things around you – you never want it to end.

I heard a choking noise come from downstairs, and I frowned when I realised Edward had been peeking at my thoughts again. Irritated, I all but yelled in my head. _Don't like it, don't do it, creep._

Calming myself and my mind, I took the opportunity to practise something I'd been working on for a while. I figured, since I didn't have human memories, that I would work on a way for vampires to achieve a sleep-like state. It would work like meditation, in a way, and just serve to calm me when certain things or people (Edward) got on my nerves. I'd asked Carlisle about it, but he said there was nothing on record about anything like that for me to go on. So at first it was a complete failure. But slowly, slowly I managed to build up a technique where I could reduce my brain activity to a minimum, and therefore feel as if I was sleeping. It passed the time, let me tell you!

So when I finally peeled open my eyes, it was to Rose, who was going ballistic because according to her, we were going to be late.

"Oh don't worry about that Rose. With our driving and all, we'll never be late!" I replied, giggling as my sister's face pulled into a scowl. Not even bothering to reply, she huffed and flounced out of my room, leaving me to shove on a change of clothes – I don't think anybody would have been in the mood for my outfit indecision today if Rose was anything to go by – and went out to the car, slipping into the backseat before Edward could even start to protest.

"Just drive, Edward," Emmett ordered, glaring when my brother looked like he was going to whine.

"Fine."

We pulled into our usual space just as the bell rang, and I caught sight of Bella heading to her class. Zipping out of the car as fast as _humanly_ possible, I approached her.

"Hey, Bella!"

She turned, a grin on her face as she registered my presence. Forcing myself not to be rendered incoherent by her beauty, I pulled her into a firm hug. She whispered a "Hey Alice" into my ear, and I shivered slightly as her warm breath fell on my skin. Pulling back, her eyes locked with mine for a few moments before we headed in the direction of the school building. In the hopes of hearing her sweet voice again, I started a conversation.

"Sleep well?" She actually seemed to consider the question, and I was rapt as I watched several expressions flit across her face, before settling back into an easy smile.

"Surprisingly well, actually." I felt the corners of my mouth turn down slightly, and I voiced my worry.

"Why? Do you normally have trouble sleeping?"

"No, I just don't normally oversleep – today I did." I shrugged internally. All humans seemed to oversleep every now and again. Hell, I probably did the equivalent this morning.

I had more questions, but we'd reached her class. I scowled, not much liking the idea of not seeing her until P.E.

"Well, I'll see you at lunch, Bella. Sit with me?" I asked, slightly nervous that she would turn me down. I didn't want to have to sit with her at the same table as Edward, but I refused to abandon my family like he was so ready to do yesterday.

"Won't your family mind?"

"Edward might get jealous, but then he just wouldn't understand. Everybody else will be fine with it; in fact, they'd like to meet you at some point." Well, I hoped they did. I'd just have to deal with Rosalie if she wasn't civil. Bella didn't look convinced. "Don't worry, they're not as scary as they seem. I gotta get going, but I'll see you in a few hours!" I assured her, planting a kiss on her cheek before I could chicken out, then heading to my own classes, impatient for lunchtime to arrive.

"Guys, I invited Bella to come sit with us. I hope that's okay?" I held gazes with each of my siblings in turn as we seated ourselves in the cafeteria with a look that said _Tough shit if you don't. _There was a slight pause, before Emmett pumped his arm in the air.

"Alright! I finally get to meet the girl who has my little sis all loved up!" He cheered, before stretching out and ruffling my hair.

"Thanks, Em," I replied. I turned to Rose, who was scowling. She shot a quick look to Edward, before looking down.

"Fine," she muttered. I was a little surprised that she didn't put up more of a fuss, but shrugged it off. Edward, meanwhile, was burning a hole into my forehead with his glare.

"How did you get her to sit with us when she said no to me? What makes you so special? I can't believe this!" he hissed, his face screwed up in the midst of his tantrum. I put my finger to my chin, pretending to think.

"Hmm, I dunno, maybe it's 'cos I'm not bugging her every other second about going out with her? Or creeping around asking her what she's thinking? Can't you just read her anyway, dumbass?" His expression changed after I had said this and he looked down at his shoes, mumbling something. I tilted my head to the side.

"What was that?"

"- I can't read her…"

Rose looked gobsmacked. Emmett's jaw had crashed through the floorboards (not literally, but you know what I mean).

"Dude, come again?" he said, scratching his head.

"I can't read her mind, Emmett! I don't know what's going on, I can hear everyone, but when I listen to where she is…nothing." _Oh this is _priceless! _Yes, yes, yes, now I don't feel nearly so bad for her; she doesn't have him prying in her head!_ Edward growled at my thoughts.

"You know I don't always enjoy seeing people's private thoughts, it's just what I-" I heard a throat clear behind me.

"Is this a private conversation, or can anyone join in?"

"Bella!"

I jumped up speedily, throwing my arms around Bella's neck, praying that she wouldn't ask. Clearly, God hated me. "You came…" I whispered in her ear.

"I said I would, didn't I?" she replied, her hands settling on my hips, something I registered with glee. We held each other a moment longer, then I pulled back and gestured to the seat next to me, ignoring the low growl that was coming from Edward's direction. I caught a slight frown on Bella's face, and maybe even a flicker of annoyance in her lovely brown eyes as she seated herself.

"So, Bella, I know you've probably already heard about us, but I'll introduce you to my family anyway. So, this is Emmett and Rose, and you've already met Edward, I believe. Guys, this is Bella," I jumped in before Edward could make any comments.

"Nice to meet you, Bella," Emmett grinned, offering his hand, which Bella eagerly took. I was surprised to see my big brother wince slightly as he pulled back. "That's some grip you've got there, girl!" A wide grin spread across Bella's face at this.

"Aww, you really are just a big teddy bear, aren't you Emmett?" I looked at Bella in surprise. She was perceptive; most humans were terrified of Emmett. Who was currently pouting.

"Hey! I can be really scary when I want to be!" he whined, before matching her grin with one of his own. _Phew. At least I don't have to worry about them getting on._ Bella then turned her attention to Rose, who I noticed was making her best efforts to keep a smile on her face. I appreciated that, but Bella seemed to sense her strain anyway. She simply nodded at my blonde sister.

"Rose." Rose seemed to relax a bit, happy that her control on her temper wouldn't be tested too far.

"Bella."

Then her gaze fell on Edward. She plastered a polite smile onto her face.

"Edward, I hope we can turn over a new leaf in our relations, but I really would like to clarify that I have no romantic interest in you whatsoever. In fact, I probably should mention that I'm gay, so if any of you have a problem with that, tell me now." She kept eye contact with each of my siblings in turn, seemingly daring them to say anything. And my brother had to go and be an idiot again.

"What? Isabella, don't be silly. Can't you see we're made for each other? Same sex love isn't real; don't delude yourself any longer, please." Bella stared at him in disbelief, as did the rest of us.

"Dude, are you for real?" Emmett whispered to him, shocked, but on the verge of anger. I looked back to Bella – she looked ready to explode.

"Alright, Edward, have it your way. Number one, don't call me Isabella. Number two, of course same sex love is real, how can you be so stupid as to not accept that? And number three, HOW DARE YOU ASSUME TO TELL ME WHO I AM MADE FOR AND WHO I WILL GO OUT WITH? YOU HAVE NO RIGHT WHATSOEVER!"

Whoa. Bella was seriously pissed off. But Edward just wouldn't let it be. He replied calmly, almost patronisingly.

"Of course I do, Isabella. You are mine, after all. I mean, you are so appetising to me that you couldn't _not_ be. So get all these notions out of your head and come with me to dinner this Saturday."

My family and I were looking at him, wondering if he realised what he just said. My brain was screaming at me _No! Bella is NOT his! And appetising? She smells really good, sure, but not good to _eat. _Well, not in that way at least…_ And then it was gone. In the gutter as my imagination took a rather dirty turn.

In the next second, Emmett was keeping a tight hold of Edward as he all but snarled at me, snapping me out of my fantasies long enough to wonder what the hell Bella was thinking of us now, and whether she was so scared that she had run off. But when I looked over, she just had a confused look on her face, as if trying to figure something out. _Uh oh. NOT good._ She turned to hold my frightened gaze for a moment, then her eyes widened, and she started moving for the back door, phone in hand.

I looked back at Rose in panic.

"Go. _Quickly!_" she whispered, as Edward finally gained the sense to sit back in his seat. It didn't help that the caf was utterly silent, with everybody's attention focused on our table. As fast as was feasible, I hurried out after Bella.

I followed her scent to the girls' bathroom, but she appeared to be speaking to someone. I listened from outside the door, hoping no-one would pass by and ask what I was doing.

"WHAT! Rick, are you sure? …But, what about the eyes?...Is that even possible?...I'm panicking here Rick, I mean I've seen nothing out of the ordinary, no hostility apart from that one issue last night…yes, it was new…no, all of their eyes are like that, they're at the _school_ for God's sake! Are you sure it's not…yes, Alice is…no, Rick, you don't understand, I _can't…_please Rick…alright. Okay, I'll keep you updated. Yeah, bye."

Her voice had gone from shocked, to scared, to sullen in a few short minutes. As she clicked the phone down, I heard quiet sobbing come from inside. That was too much for me. Before I knew it, I was in there too, approaching her. Never mind that cryptic phone conversation. Never mind that we might have blown our cover. My Bella was hurting.

"Bella?"

"A-alice?" She spun around in surprise, her eyes wide. My heart ached as I took in the tears making tracks down her cheeks.

"What's wrong, honey?" I made to move towards her, but she stepped back.

"Don't pull that crap with me Alice. And I thought you were different. But you're just like the rest of them." Her voice wavered towards the end of the sentence. I tried to act clueless.

"Bella, what are you talking about?" Again I tried to reach for her, and again she pulled away. Taking a minute to control herself, she lifted her head to face me and look into my eyes. I gasped. They were no longer the warm chocolate brown, but a bright violet. Slowly, she raised a finger and pointed at me.

"I know what you are."

I blinked, and the next moment she was gone. Just…vanished. Venom tears burned my eyes, but never fell as I collapsed, dry sobbing, on the bathroom floor. All I could do was repeat the same thing over and over again in my mind:

_She left me…_

**A/N I really hope you don't hate me too much. I have reasons, I do! All will be revealed in later chapters, I pwomise! XD Review!**


	7. Reunion

**A/N Yeah, okay, I know I made you guys wait. Sorry! I was kinda stuck in the middle of a river on a houseboat where there was no internet and 12 volt electrics for an ENTIRE WEEK. It nearly killed me, I'm telling you. Anyways, hope y'all enjoy this chapter, and thank you to the people who have taken the time to read this story and review! *Hugs***

**By the way, things get slightly steamy in this chap, so don't say I didn't warn you.**

**APOV**

Three weeks.

It's been three _fucking _weeks since I last saw her. Since she last came to school. Since she was last sighted.

I can't handle it.

I'm a complete mess. I can't hunt. I can't shop. I can't bring myself to do anything. I'm drifting through school every day, then I'm sitting in my room every night, curled up on my bed in a foetal position, trying to ignore this unbearable pain that I've been experiencing ever since she left. It feels almost physical, like I've had part of me ripped away. It's my dead, unbeating heart that's gone. She's taken it with her.

Edward is whining around about his lost love, blaming me, but nobody is listening to him anymore, and for that I am glad. I don't think I could handle it if my family started blaming me too. I've not had a single vision since she left. And believe me, I've tried. Not just to see her, to see where she might have gone, but to help Carlisle; there've been more attacks. Always in the same way, then always revisited by _something_ as the victim is healing at the hospital. I know everyone is really worried, and I'm not helping their nerves, but I can't help it. It's impossible for me to try and fake that façade of joy and happiness that used to come so naturally to me.

I'm falling apart without her.

**BPOV**

I couldn't stay. I just couldn't handle that.

Everything was going perfectly. I was handling the new school fairly well, and I had friends. I also had her. But fate likes to screw with my life sometimes, and when Edward seemed to lose it in the cafeteria, I had a horrible feeling that this was one of those times. In the time it took for my eyes to connect with her frightened golden orbs, my mind had already put together the pieces that my subconscious was warning me about. The pale skin, the inhuman beauty, clear, musical voices, coldness of the skin, gold eyes...something was going on here. I needed to get out of there. I needed help.

I thought of Rick, of course. So I'd ducked into the first bathroom I came to and called him. He picked up on the first ring.

*_Three Weeks Ago*_

"Rick, I need you. I think we've got a problem at the school." He noticed my tone immediately.

"What's up, Bella?"

"I'm suspicious of a few of the kids here. They claim that they're adopted, yet they all share common features: gold eyes, cold and pale skin, all very attra-"

"WHAT! ARE YOU SHITTING ME?"

"What is it? What's wrong Rick?"

"There is only one brand of supernatural that fit your description Bella – vamps."

"WHAT? Rick, are you sure?"

"If they look like what you described, then yes, I'm afraid so Bella."

"But, what about the eyes?"

"Well, records show that a vamp's eyes will turn gold if they feed from animals. That will probably explain how there are no unexplained death tolls in Forks." Rick sounded stressed, and it was getting to me. Vamps weren't supposed to exist anymore.

"Is that even possible?"

"I don't know any more than you do about how they are there, Bella. Until pretty much a few seconds ago, I didn't know they existed anymore either."

"I'm panicking here Rick, I mean I've seen nothing out of the ordinary, no hostility apart from that one issue last night."

"Well maybe if they feed off animals they are different to what people encountered in the past. But…was the one you found last night new?"

"Yes, it was new." Fear was rising in my throat, making it hard to speak.

"And you say all their eyes are like that? None of them are red?"

"No, all of their eyes are like that." My frazzled mind was beginning to connect the dots, and the words _vampire _and _Alice_ were two that just didn't compute with my brain. It seemed like Rick could tell what I was thinking.

"You've got to protect Alice; I presume you care for her. Unless…is she one of them?"

"Yes, Alice is…" I couldn't finish the sentence. Couldn't get the words out. I heard a sigh down the phone.

"I want you to stay away from them. They're fast, Bella, and powerful. Observe from a distance, but never get caught. We need to know what their intentions are. I'm doing what I can here, then I'll join you in Forks. This is serious." No. No, I couldn't stay away from her.

"Rick, you don't understand, I _can't_-" He cut me off sharply.

"You remember the stories Bella. I know it will be hard, when you've just found a friend in Alice, but I need you to stay _safe._"

"Please, Rick," I whispered, hopelessly.

"Bella…" His tone invited no arguing.

"Alright. Okay, I'll keep you updated," I replied dully, snapping my phone shut.

_Stay away from Alice? No. I can't…but she's a vampire…oh my God she's a vampire._

I didn't realise I was crying until I caught sight of myself in the mirror. Being a vampire meant she was out at every turn to deceive me. To fool me. She was fake. That thought hurt, and angered me at the same time. _How dare she?_

"Bella?"

"A-alice?" I stuttered in my surprise and shock, spinning around to face the seemingly innocent looking _vampire._ Her expression appeared to be soft and friendly, but I knew better now.

"What's wrong, honey?"

Unexplained anger shot through me, as she stepped forward and I knew I stepped back from her. The pain on her face seemed almost real. I felt a shudder pass through my body and I knew I'd entered my hunting psyche, which meant I had to hide my eyes. I kept my head down, considering my options. I couldn't bring myself to try and take her on; she still held my heart. So my only other option was flight.

"Don't pull that crap with me Alice. And I thought you were different. But you're just like the rest of them." I wasn't really sure if I was making sense or not (This was my anger talking), but I was stalling in order to plan an escape route. Out of the corner of my eye I spied an open skylight. I needed a distraction so I could get through it before she reacted.

"Bella, what are you talking about?"

It was sickening, how sincere her expression was. I inched further away from her as she continued to move towards me. But if I moved any further I'd be out of range of the skylight. _Quickly! _I took a deep breath, and lifted my head to look directly at her. She gasped as she saw my eyes; I knew she'd be seeing a bright violet. Raising my hand, I pointed at her, aiming to create as much shock as possible.

"I know what you are."

As soon as she blinked her eyes, knowing that she was confused, I leapt upwards with all my strength, through the skylight, and touched down lightly on the roof. From there it was a quick jump into the trees and back the way I ran this morning.

When I reached the house, I couldn't keep still. Those vamps may not know what it means for a 'human' to have violet eyes, but if they were smart, they would find out. I needed to keep my head down, and I couldn't do that whilst I was in plain, public view at this house. And I could _not_ put Charlie in danger. No way. But most of all, I couldn't stay and watch Alice each day, whilst knowing that I had to keep away from her. She might have been a lie, but it was still a lie I had fallen for.

Hurriedly, I rifled around the book of contacts that Rick had compiled for me when I had left, 'in case you need a safe house'. Well, I'd say this pretty much qualified me for a safe house. Scanning as quickly as I could, I picked out a name and address that was close enough. I needed to be no more distance than an hour's run, in case anything went wrong. And the name and address didn't even register with me until I had dialled the number. As it rang, I looked down again, and my eyes widened. _Oh shit._ But just as I was about to slam the phone down, someone picked up at the other end. I cursed silently.

"Hello?" An all too familiar voice chimed down the line.

"Hey, Kristie. It's me." There was an uncomfortable pause.

"Bella? Bella Swan?"

"Yeah."

"Bella? The Bella that I haven't seen in a year 'cos she was too busy to see me? The Bella that told me she needed 'just a couple of days' to think?" I winced at her hurt tone.

"I'm sorry, Kristie, but things got worse in Phoenix. Rick called me in an emergency and I just haven't had the time since and-"

"Save it," she cut me off. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I recently moved to Forks with Charlie, but something weird is going on. I just talked to Rick, and he reckons we got ourselves some _vamps_." I whispered the last word, still not comfortable with it. "One of them saw me in my…well…my hunting psyche. Rick says I should lay low for a while, and observe them. But I need to stay close, 'cos there was a new Vrykolakas last night, and I have this horrible feeling that there may be more on the way."

This was all received in stony silence. I started to wonder if she'd just put the phone down and left me to it, when she answered me.

"I guess you'd better come over then."

*_End Flashback*_

I'd scribbled a quick excuse to Charlie, saying that I'd gone back to Phoenix for a little while, and that Renee had paid for plane tickets. I then texted Rick quickly to get him to work his magic with all that black market tracking and hacking equipment he had going at his place. My story would be backed up. I'd just have to deal with Charlie's anger when I got back. _If I get back. _I'd wanted to leave the rickety truck behind, but it wouldn't look great to Charlie, so I reluctantly drove it the teeth-grindingly slow distance to Port Angeles, where my old _friend_ Kristie was waiting for me.

She was human, 100%, but she found out about the monsters and so on, so now she works with the rest of us, offering a safe house to those of us who need it. But at first, she wasn't a very welcoming host. See, Kristie and I have a long and complicated history that is wayyy too long to go into now. But the long and short of it is, she was my girlfriend, I got scared that things were moving too fast with us, called timeout, then got called back to Phoenix when the number of Vrykolakases increased. And, as I'd said to her on the phone, I had been too busy (or preoccupied) to contact her until several months later. And by that time, I really didn't want to face her wrath. Unfortunately, my distracted mind had completely ignored the significance of the name and address until it was too late. And she wouldn't let me forget it.

Still, after a week, I had managed to warm her up enough that she would speak to me properly again, and we began to catch up. She told me all about her 'day' job. It was just a cover really, something she'd decided to do even though her rich, rich parents had given her a few bucks when she had graduated. She was a prof at the Uni in Seattle, teaching English. Something I might have gone for, had this not all happened to me. By the end of the third week, it was getting to be a bit disturbing how easy it was for us to both slip back into old habits. One evening, I caught myself with my arm around Kristie and her snuggled into my side. Another, I turned around after getting something from the fridge, only to come nose to nose with her. She almost kissed me. _Almost._ But I knew that I wouldn't have stopped it if she hadn't caught herself.

And all the while, back in Forks, there were more attacks. Each time committed by a new monster. I couldn't understand it, because if none of the vamps drank human blood, then these things shouldn't appear. Rick was frantically researching, but he was turning up with blanks. The frequency was getting up to almost every night now, and it was draining on me to run to a fro, having to rely solely on my instincts to tell me when there had been an attack that I needed to deal with. It was only a matter of time before I missed one.

That, combined with the growing…well, _weirdness_ between me and Kristie was what put the idea to return to Forks in my head. My growing ache for Alice was what shattered my resolve. I _had_ to see her. Even if she was fake, even if it could get me killed. I hadn't been able to rest, knowing that I couldn't talk to her again, couldn't _be_ with her. The least I could do was catch a glimpse of her every so often. I'd kept my eyes open, obviously, but I'd never seen her. Only her siblings, including the ever annoying Edward. I'd kept downwind of them, for fear of being recognised, and I couldn't hear them, but they seemed pretty put out as their mouths twitched in fast speech. I needed to go back to Forks.

The least I could do for Kristie was to tell her I was leaving to her face, rather that leaving a note like last time. So after I'd packed up my stuff, I went into the sitting room and told her that I needed to go back to Forks, to keep a closer eye on the town. She smiled sadly.

"Always about your job, Bella. I can't say I understand, but I do sympathise." Then she got up and, before I could stop her, planted a kiss straight on my mouth. "Drop by in a few weeks. That is, if you still want to." The uncertainty in her voice as she avoided my gaze damn near broke my heart. Could I? There was Alice but…Alice was an impossibility now. Still, I just couldn't.

Sighing, I shouldered my bag and left. "I'll be back when I can."

Charlie wasn't _too _bad to deal with.

Oh, who am I kidding?

I arrived in the evening, so Charlie was already in when my rattling truck phutted its way into the drive. He was at the doorway before I had even gotten out of the cab.

"And where do you think you have been girl? No mention? No phone call? Just a note left on the bloody kitchen table?" I imagined myself as shrinking down to the size of a speck of dust. "Do you know how worried I was when you didn't come back in _three weeks_?

I won't bore you with the details, but the conversation (i.e. Charlie shouting at me) was resultant in that I was officially grounded. _Indefinitely._ Ah well. He couldn't catch me if he tried.

After it was all over, I stretched out my mind, trying to get a feel for anything supernatural that had occurred. When nothing came to me, I crashed. I hadn't been able to sleep at Kristie's, although I couldn't understand why. Maybe it just didn't feel like home. Now, all the hunting caught up with me and the wave of exhaustion completely knocked me out. The next thing I was aware of was a lovely scent, deeply intoxicating, and oh-so-familiar. _Alice has been here._

Despite the fact that I should have been extremely worried and possibly terrified out of my wits, I couldn't help the jolt of excitement that raced through me. _Maybe she wants to talk. Maybe it wasn't just an act._ I worked hard to squish these thoughts down as quickly as they arose, and instead dressed myself for the day, my thoughts whipping themselves into a frenzy until I was a nervous wreck. Glancing at the clock, I realised my daydreaming had cost me time, but no way was I going to risk running again today, not with vamps in the forest. _So I guess I'll just have to be late._

I skittered down the path and threw myself into the cab of my dreaded truck, fumbling to get the key in. Twisting sharply, I exhaled in annoyance and the engine spluttered, coughed, then gave up. I tried again. Same response. Frustrated, I punched the upholstery of the passenger seat, creating a sizable rip. Swearing colourfully, I exited the useless vehicle and prepared myself for a light jog in the rain.

"Need a lift?"

My entire body tensed. I wasn't ready to face her yet. Hell, I wasn't even supposed to be _talking_ to her. But something in her voice made me turn around. I gasped.

Alice was there, leaning up against a very yellow sports car. She looked like she had seen better days. The dark circles that were ever present under her eyes had increased in their prominence, probably because her skin, usually flawless, had become sallow, and didn't glow like it used to. Her lips were turned up in a slight smile, but I could see that it was the first time she had done so in weeks, and it didn't reach her eyes. Her _eyes._ I'd read that a vamp's eyes go black if they haven't…fed in a while. And Alice's were coal black.

What the hell was I supposed to do? I don't know. But I'll tell you what I did do; like the coward I am, I ran. To hell with the fact that I needed to keep up human appearances – this was a life or death situation, and my instincts were screaming at me, telling me that if I didn't move, _I _would be the next meal. I hoped against hope that she wouldn't follow, but I heard rustling behind me as she, too, entered the trees in my pursuit. Pushing myself as hard as I could, with my muscles screaming and my heart pounding, I raced past branches, over fallen trees, anything to get away. Then suddenly, it was all over.

Something ploughed into me from the side, and I was on the leaf-covered ground, staring in horror at the tiny vampire with coal black eyes straddling my waist. Her fangs had extended so that they were peaking from her top lip in a rather _erotic_ way. Even now, this close to death, I was painfully attracted to the sexy vamp above me. As I took stock of her position in relation to my body, my panties dampened slightly. _Fuck._ Then Alice did the strangest thing; she purred. Her eyes had closed, and her nostrils were flaring. Then I realised that if I could smell my arousal, so could she. _And she was purring?_ Her eyes snapped open, boring into my own as another scent reached me; her own arousal.

My eyes rolled back into my head and my panties became totally soaked as she leaned forward, into me, and pressed the lengths of our bodies together. Her nose grazed my neck, which should have set off alarm bells, but I was too aroused to think straight.

"So…good…" she moaned in my ear, and I nearly came on the spot. She began sucking softly on my neck, her breasts pressed deliciously into my own. My hips bucked involuntarily, and Alice's purring increased in volume.

"Hmm…mine," she hummed, biting lightly on my neck, but not breaking the skin. Still, it was enough to snap me out of my haze. With all my willpower, I placed my hands on her shoulders and pried her off of me. Standing up and looking into her eyes, I tried to reach her.

"Alice. Alice! Snap out of it, Alice, please!" I called as she continued to stare at me hungrily, her hands still roaming lightly across my stomach. I shivered, closing my eyes for just a moment, and in that time her lips had connected with mine.

Sparks of raw pleasure and lust exploded behind my eyelids as her lips, tongue and teeth explored my own in a feverish dance that took my breath away, and I responded with all the passion that had burned in me these past weeks. Her tongue swiped my bottom lip, and I granted her entrance instantly, with a deep, guttural moan. The sensations were just too addictive, and even though I knew we should stop, that she was _dangerous_ like this, I just couldn't. This was nothing like when I was with Kristie, or anybody else, for that matter. No, this was primal, and possessive. And God help me, I wanted more.

Eventually my need for breath became prevalent, and it didn't look like Alice was going to stop anytime soon. She had wrapped her legs around my waist, and her core was grinding against mine. I gasped into the kiss as she rolled her hips, and managed to tear myself away from her.

"Seriously, Alice. Stop!" No response. So I took a deep breath. This was going to hurt.

I drew my hand back and slapped her quite hard.

Can I say; Ow.

But it did the trick. Alice leapt back from me, shook her head a few times, as if trying to clear a fog from her mind, then grinned sheepishly at me.

"I think…I need to hunt. Be right back! Then we'll talk."

She zoomed off, leaving me standing in the middle of the trees to wait on her return.

**A/N Good? Bad? Too much? Not enough? Review!**


	8. Confusion and Explanation

**A/N Sorry it's taken me so long! Due to my school arrangements, I'm only going to be able to update every three weeks...:-( So I'll try to make my chapters extra long. You have no idea how hard it was for me to write this chapter! I swear, I must have done about four different versions, all of which fell flat, before i ended up with this one. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**APOV**

All I wanted was answers. I had caught scent of Bella last night, and couldn't help the hope that rose in me that she had returned. Sure enough, when I followed the trail to her house, she was sleeping peacefully in her room, as if she'd never been away.

I didn't linger too long, afraid she would wake up and somehow sense me there, but I resolved that, in the morning, I would give her no escape. So, as quietly as possible, I tampered with a few cables under the hood of Bella's monster of a truck. She'd need to catch a lift tomorrow, and that would be with me. I had a sneaking suspicion that she'd try to ignore me at school, and pretend that she hadn't disappeared, unexplained, for a month.

When dawn came, I was back in my room, still thinking of how I could approach her without gaining a hostile reaction once again. But I had run out of time. Taking a deep breath to steady myself, and blanking out Edward's screaming, I leapt into my own car and drove to her house.

I should have remembered, of course, that I hadn't fed at all whilst she was away. That meant my monster was much closer to the surface than I anticipated, and caused things to go awry. I said my first words to her as she was standing in her driveway, looking directly at her.

"Need a lift?"

Her back was to me as I got out, but I could see from my position as the muscles in her body tensed. _Was she scared to see me? Did she really know what I was?_ I held my breath as she turned around, reluctantly. Seeing her face again, after such a long time, did something strange to me. My lust and desire, usually so well buried beneath reason, came rushing to the surface. I kept a small smile on my face, despite the storm that was raging inside me.

_Take her! She's yours!_

No, she's her own person. She might not even want to see me right now!

_That doesn't matter! You can't deny that you want her, wet and moaning beneath you as you-_

STOP IT! Just stop it! I can't just force myself on her, that would be something that Edward would do, I-

_Pay attention! She's leaving!_

Focusing my eyes, I just caught sight of Bella disappearing into the trees, _at a non-human pace?_

_Go and get her._

Maybe I should have been stronger. Maybe I should have remembered to hunt, to strengthen my resistance. _Yes,_ I thought, as I raced after her.

I quickly realised, as I ran, that Bella, for whatever reason, was moving just as fast as I could, maybe even faster. _But she can't keep this up forever, can she?_

We continued, crashing through bracken and leaping over tree trunks until at last she slowed down just the tiniest bit. I burst forward, my mind consumed with fantasies of what I would do to when I caught her, and leapt at her from the side, landing with one knee on each side of her waist.

My dark eyes drank in the slight of her beneath me, slightly flushed from exertion with a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. I knew my fangs had extended, but I was beyond caring what she thought of me. _I want her so bad._

As I breathed in deeply, I detected an even more exquisite aroma than Bella's usual scent – saltier, even more alluring. It was her arousal that came to me and I shuddered with my burning desire, unable to hold down the purr that left my throat. I could feel my own panties become soaked.

Slowly, in my lust haze, I leant forward, pressing into her until I could feel nothing but her _delicious_ body beneath my own. My vampire side rejoiced as I brushed my nose against her neck, taking in the most concentrated dose of that addicting scent that I possibly could. I mumbled something incoherent in her ear, and began sucking softly on her pulse point, the taste of her exploding in pleasurable sensations on my tongue. Bella's hips bucked into me, and I knew that my purring increased, and I completely let go of my consciousness.

I no longer had control of my actions as I vocalised my claim on her. Even as she tried to push me back, I simply watched from behind my eyes as my lips connected with hers in the most _sinfully _good experience of my life. I was hardly complaining – it all felt so _amazing._ The moan that I drew forth from her as my tongue swiped her bottom lip did things to me that not even Jasper, with his emotion control, had ever done. At some point, my legs had wrapped around her waist, pushing her back against a tree, and I was grinding into her, seeking that delicious friction that I knew would give us both a release.

Next thing I knew, I felt a sharp pain in my cheek. My eyes snapped open, and suddenly I was in control again. Stumbling backwards, I instinctually took inventory…_legs, arms, head? All present and correct?_ But my attention was almost immediately taken by the girl in front of me.

Her hair was utterly sexed up, her cheeks flushed, and she was shaking her hand, as if in pain. Then the past minute or so registered with me, and if I could, I would have blushed deeply. Instead, all I could do was look embarrassed as she met my gaze. There was silence for a moment, then I realised that she was waiting for me to explain. But I couldn't whilst I was in that state, so I made the excuse of hunting, and rushed off to sate my thirst.

Now I was in the awkward position by which I had to try and explain what had just happened. But to do that, I needed to understand at least a bit about what she had said the last time we spoke. My mind recoiled from thinking about that time, but I knew that it had to be done. _Does she really know what I am? And if so, how?_

* * *

**BPOV**

_What to do, what to do?_

I paced frantically back and forth through the clearing in which we had, just a few moments ago, been…intimate. My body still shuddered in pleasure as I remembered the sensations of her teasingly beautiful body against my own.

_Focus, Swan!_

It's not that I didn't want answers – I hardly knew everything about vampires, and maybe if I found they were safe, I could be with Alice again. But at what cost? Would I have to reveal myself too, in explanation? I still ached without Alice being close to me, but my head was still warning me that my trust in her was, as yet, unfounded. As much as I didn't want to lie to her, I couldn't tell her about me until I knew the coven of vampires better, and could judge their reactions. But I had let so many things slip in the heat of the moment; how much did she notice?

I was still wondering how I could counter any awkward questions, when an angel appeared in front of me, smirking.

"Impatient much?"

She was referring, of course, to my ceaseless pacing. Immediately, I stilled.

"I think maybe we should clear a few things up, Alice?" I was meant to be a statement, but came out as a question when my eyes came to rest on her own. Reassuringly, they were back to their usual golden colour.

She simply nodded, and I waited for her to begin. She appeared to be considering her wording, as she tilted her head to the side slightly.

"You said that you know what I am. If I may ask, what do you think I am?"

"You're a vampire," I stated. This was one truth I could tell, even though I couldn't help the wince that came with the word. She didn't look surprised.

"And how do you know this?"

I'd considered my answer to this question carefully. I was reminded of some legends the Quileutes that were on the reservation told round their beach fires; Jacob had mentioned them to me when he was at my house a few weeks ago.

"I have a friend on the reservation, in La Push. He told me some of his peoples' legends about 'The Cold Ones', and I kind of figured it out for myself after that." It wasn't a _total _lie.

She nodded, absorbing the information.

"Where did you go, that day? One minute you were right in front of me, the next you'd completely disappeared. And your eyes – they were violet?"

I bit my lip. "Alice, I understand that it may have seemed like an instant to you, but you'd gone into some kind of daze, and hardly moved when I ran out of the bathroom that day. And you saw my eyes as a violet colour?" At this I frowned, as if remembering something. "Yes, that's right; my mom's said the same thing to me a couple of times. It must be the fluorescence or something." Okay, now I was lying through my teeth, but the most frustrating thing was that I couldn't tell if Alice was buying it or not.

"Then why haven't you been here the past three weeks?" Another prod.

I looked down, a sad expression on my face. "I got a phone call about my gramps before you came into the bathroom. He'd died of a heart attack, and the funeral was scheduled a week after that day. But since Mom was away with Phil, I had to make all the preparations, so I went back to Phoenix. I'd been close to my gramps, and I didn't think I could handle school for a little while afterwards." True, but my gramps had died three years ago.

"Okay, so what about just now? You ran fast, Bella. Very fast."

I feigned surprise. "I did? Well, I was being chased by a hungry vampire, after all. Y'know, you're scary when your eyes are all dark like that."

She frowned, clearly not appeased. "You definitely weren't going at a human speed," she said, gazing at me intensely.

"Jeez, Alice, cool off. If you're accusing me of not being human, then you need your head examined. Do I look _un-_human to you?" Oops. Too close to the truth.

"Looks can be deceiving." She narrowed her eyes, as if trying to discern my un-humanness. _Time for a change of subject, I think._

"So, if you're done, I'd like to ask you a few questions. Like, what the hell that was back there?" We both knew what I was referring to, and the sheepish expression she had worn earlier returned.

"I…I'm sorry. I hadn't hunted recently, and I guess my instincts were a little closer to the surface than I expected them to be. Vamps, when they haven't fed, become more like the monster inside them than their human selves, and…there are two things our monsters crave above all…" she trailed off in her explanation.

"Which are?"

"Blood…" I rolled my eyes. _Well duh._"…and sex."

My eyes flew to hers once more, and although she wasn't blushing, she did look very, very embarrassed. I tentatively questioned her further.

"So, why didn't you just drain me, then?"

"I…uh…how do I explain this…When we hunt, Bella, we rely heavily on our sense of smell to find us a good meal." I shuddered involuntarily at the erotic thought of Alice in the process of hunting. Alice paused, giving me a funny look before continuing. "Your scent doesn't make me thirsty. It doesn't tell me that you are a meal at all. So I'm not tempted to drink from you. That, combined with the fact that I've been hunting animals for the past eighty years pretty much has erased any possibility of that happening."

I started. I knew Alice would be old, but it didn't really hit me until she said it out loud.

"And…the sex?"

Alice bit down hard on her full lower lip, and looked away for a moment, whispering something that, even with my advanced hearing, I could not catch.

"Alice?"

"I said that I hadn't gotten to that bit yet. Whilst your scent does not make me want to drink from you, it does cause other…urges to occur in me." She looked straight at me once more, seemingly gaining courage as I hung off her every word. "Your scent is the most exquisite, alluring thing I have ever experienced. The slightest hint of it, and I want more. I want to smell, touch, _taste_ you. And it scares me, Bella. I'm not sure why it happens, I just know that it _does_, and I don't want it to end, not matter how much it hurts when I have to resist it. Sorry, I've gone and scared you now, haven't I?"

The scared, vulnerable emotion conveyed in her beautiful eyes was enough to assure me that she was sincere, and prompted me into a confession of my own. Stepping forward, I placed a hand under her chin, tilting it so that she would continue to look at me.

"You probably won't believe me, but I tell you now, Alice, that it doesn't scare me at all. The first time I ever saw you, in the cafeteria that day, you were ingrained into my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about you, and in the beginning it drove me insane. But only from the fact that there was no chance of me being with you. If you can tell me now that what you feel for me is more than purely instinctual, you have no idea how happy I'd be. Besides, if I'm not scared of being this close to a vampire, why would I be scared of anything you tell me, especially when it is truth?" I smiled softly, holding eye contact with her. A grin broke out on Alice's flawless face, and she flung her marble arms around my neck.

"Yes, yes it's more than instincts, so much more my sweet Bella," she whispered, out of range of a normal human's hearing. I laughed in my elation, and immediately any awkward tension was swept away.

"You'll have to stop doing that, Alice, not everybody can hear subsonic!" I remarked. "But I'll take it that it's not just instinctual?" She nodded vigorously.

"No Bella, it definitely isn't just instinctual. Not at all." I grinned, feeling all my worries go away, and suddenly all that mattered to me was the perfect creature in my arms. An idea came to me, and I was about to speak, but it appeared that the pixie vamp in front of me had dazed out. I'd seen that blank look in her eyes a couple of times, but she'd always evaded my questions. _What the…_

"Eeeee! Yes, yes, a million times yes!" Alice suddenly came back into consciousness, and begun to jump up and down, clapping her hands, then bringing me into another gentle, but firm embrace.

"Uh…" I mumbled. Did I blank out on the bit where I asked her to be my girlfriend? _Ah, shit._

When she pulled back from me, she seemed to notice my bemused expression, and proceeded to confuse me further.

"Oh, whoopsie. Forgot to tell you I can see the future, didn't I?"

"Uh…huh…" She seemed to realise that my brain needed more of an explanation than that to comprehend her bombshell of a revelation.

"Well, basically whenever somebody makes a decision, I am able to see what the decision is and its consequences. Like, just now I saw you ask me to be your girlfriend, before you did it, and that explains my reaction…sorta…"

"Wow…" It was all I could say, really. Alice was powerful. I was glad that I could start to trust her again, and things would go back to the way they were before.

"Yeah. But with you, it's kinda messed up. Like, I don't always get a clear image of you."

"Is there something wrong with me?" I asked feigning surprise. That would be my natural mental barrier. Rick told me that all of us had one to guard against any vampires with mind manipulation powers. She laughed, the tinkling sound echoing through the place.

"I tell you that I'm a vampire, and I can see the future, and you ask if there's something wrong with you?" I averted my eyes, feeling my cheeks reddening. I mumbled incoherently, before glancing at my watch. _Shit!_

"Alice, its lunchtime already. Don't you think you should be getting back to school?" This made her laugh harder.

"I'm sure I can handle it. School is always the same. You, on the other hand…" I shook my head violently.

"Oh no. I've had three weeks off, one more day won't hurt," I pre-empted her. She looked set to argue, but seemed to change her mind.

"Alright then, so what do you want to do?"

* * *

**APOV**

I collapsed back onto my soft mattress, a stupidly wide grin plastered on my face. And to think, only twenty-four hours ago I was so miserable – my mood had been utterly reversed! I'd started the day with so many fears and questions, and it couldn't have gone better.

She had found out that I was a vampire, yes, but seemed totally fine with it. She even managed to slip in a few jokes, and I let out a very big internal sigh of relief that she hadn't run screaming back to Phoenix, although I was genuinely sad to hear about her grandpa.

After she'd asked me to be her girlfriend, we'd spent the rest of school hours in her room, just chatting about what she had missed whilst she was away, and anything else she wanted to know. Despite my zombie-like state these past three weeks, it seemed I had still unconsciously registered all the events of school. She did seem a bit evasive on any questions I asked her, but I put it down to the loss of a close relative. I'd left, reluctantly I might add, so that I'd be home to explain to my family all that had happened. Not before telling her that I would pick her up for school the next day, though, since I _had _tampered with her truck in the first place.

I'd wanted to give her a proper kiss goodbye, but after everything else that had happened that day, I constrained myself to a peck on the cheeks. I was, though, in a state of elation. _She really feels the same way!_ Inside, I was doing a happy dance, and I knew that nothing, not even my bone-headed brother could bring me down from my Bella-induced high.

Of course, it wasn't long before the rest of my siblings, including said boneheaded brother, returned from school. And I became very confused as I lay back on my sheets with my hands behind my head, as to why it sounded like there was a struggle going on downstairs. Not wishing to get up, I nonetheless went out on to the landing to see what was going on.

The growling and shouting had been muffled by my sound-proof walls, but it assaulted my eardrums as soon as I opened the door.

"Let me at her!"

"Oh no you don't Eddie boy. I don't care _what_ you think she's done, but you are sure as hell not going to attack her while I'm around!"

"Edward, for the love of God, get a GRIP!"

The scene that I was met with as I reached the top of the stairs was even more chaotic than the noise. Edward, his eyes pitch black, was snarling and struggling, pinned to the floor by Emmett, whilst Rosalie was glaring down at him icily. All around them there were smashed bits of vases and other ornaments, with water and flowers covering the floor.

At my appearance, Edward roared in defiance, and almost got free. He hissed at me, his hateful eyes narrowed at me.

"You were with her, weren't you? Her scent is all over you! What did you do to her, Alice! What did you do to _my_ mate? Wait…WHY THE HELL CAN'T I HEAR YOU?"

"Gee, I dunno Edward, maybe 'cos she didn't say anything?" Emmett put on a retarded voice.

"That's…that's not what I mean!" he growled in return, before bringing his attention back to me again. "Why can't I read your mind? What have you done?"

I looked at him in utter astonishment. _What does he mean he can't read my mind? I…Whoo hoo! Yes! Fuck you, Edward, now I have my privacy!_ I couldn't help but be glad. Not only could I now think in private, but also any events that happened between me and Bella would be concealed from him. If he got this angry at just the thought that I had been with her alone, then he could quite possibly hurt me if he could see what had happened today, and maybe in the future. Even still, it was slightly disturbing.

It was at this point that Esme arrived in the foyer.

Some advice: NEVER mess up Cullen household ornaments. It kinda makes Esme mad. Like, really mad.

"WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" Our normally stoic and calm mother was on a rampage. Terrified, I took a step back, practically seeing the waves of rage flowing off her. Emmett immediately jumped off Edward to cower behind Rosalie, and in a fit of common sense, Edward stayed where he was on the floor. No-one spoke.

"WELL? UNLIKE _SOME_ PEOPLE IN THIS HOUSEHOLD, I AM NOT A MIND READER, AND WOULD LIKE AN ANSWER!"

"Well, Mom, we just got back from school, and the moment we got through the door Edward began growling out insults at Alice, and he was just about to go upstairs and attack her, so Emmett did his best to restrain him, and in the process accidently knocked over a few things?" Even Rosalie was tentative in her explanation. It took Esme a while to speak, but when she did she managed to recover some semblance of calm.

"Okay. Rosalie, it's okay, you can go." She was out the door before Esme could get another word in. "Emmett, I appreciate you protecting your sister, but in the process you managed to create a god-awful mess. Please clear this room up. Now." Emmet flashed away, giving a warning glare to Edward as he went. "Edward and Alice, come with me." Uh oh.

Esme led us into her Art Room/Study, and motioned for us to take seats before closing the door behind us. Although I was extremely apprehensive about the coming discussion, it reassured me that my mother figure was seemingly much more serene than in the previous few minutes.

Gazing around, I took the time to appreciate her many beautiful pieces of art, some famous under aliases, others unsung, personal pieces, including the set of portraits of each member of our family, and then another set with the mated pairs together. I cringed as my eyes came to rest upon the one of Jasper and I, smiling happily and looking into each other's eyes. Truly, I had been happy with him, and indeed thought I had loved him. But those feelings paled so much in comparison to those that I felt for Bella, now, that I knew it couldn't have been love. What puzzled me the most was why Jasper hadn't sensed it. My eyes drifted onwards, and I took in the pictures of the other couples of the family. Edward's had yet to be done.

Esme cleared her throat, and my attention returned to the present as she began.

"Now, to start with, Alice, I would like to know why I had to make excuses for you today as to why you were not attending school." Knowing that Edward could no longer read my mind, I felt more confident in my twisting of the truth.

"At dawn this morning I received a vision that showed me that Bella had returned to Forks. Furthermore, that her truck would break down in her driveway and she would have no transport for school. So I decided that I would give her a lift."

"You could have let _me_ give her a lift!" Edward broke his silence to snark at me.

"Edward, let Alice finish! And I am sure that would not have been a good idea, what with all the bloodlust you have recently admitted her scent makes you feel, and the fact that she doesn't seem to like you all that much," Esme countered. "Continue, Alice."

"When I arrived, and offered a lift, she looked at me as if I were a ghost, and then promptly collapsed on the ground. I could hardly leave her there, and I didn't want to disturb Chief Swan from his work, so I carried her onto the sofa – the door to the house was still open – and waited for her to wake up. She did so soon after, and proceeded to tell me that she knew we were vampires."

Esme breathed in sharply, and Edward growled. I hurried on.

"Of course, was she not going to find out sooner or later anyway? At least, since she figured it out for herself, we have broken no law."

"How _did_ she find out?" Esme asked, curious now.

"She said that she had gone to a beach party at La Push, and had heard the 'legends' they tell towards the end of the evening."

"Those _stupid_ mutts!" Edward intoned viciously.

"Edward! Calm yourself!" Esme reprimanded.

"Edward, they were told as just stories; culture, if you like. They are not shown to have truth behind them at all – indeed, most of the non-wolves in the tribe know nothing about the truth behind the words." I paused, drawing a breath. "So, after that I thought it was best to stay with her, and at least make sure that she would tell no-one else."

"And that took the whole day?" Edward challenged.

"After the initial shock, Bella was actually quite curious, and I could hardly deny to answer her questions."

"I see. That is one matter cleared up then, although perhaps it would be a good idea for Bella to speak with Carlisle as well. So, Edward, would you please explain to me exactly _why_ you were prepared to tear your sister's throat out?"

"Well, Alice didn't appear at school all day, so I was already a bit annoyed that she was skipping. Then I come home to find Bella and Alice's scents mixed together and spread all around the house. It got me so angry that after all the time my mate has been away, when she did come back Alice failed to inform me, and instead spent the day with her behind my back!"

Esme's eyebrows rose slightly at Edward's use of the word 'mate', but otherwise she let Edward finish. Then, steepling her fingers, she said to Edward,

"Is that all? That is why you were going to attack Alice? Because she unintentionally spent the day with the human girl that you call your mate, even though she has expressed no interest in you whatsoever, in fact has flat out refused you on multiple occasions, the most recent of which she has informed you that she is gay? I think, Edward, that although Carlisle was being fair to you at the time, that in hindsight it was a bad decision to let you pursue Bella whilst Alice had to watch from the side lines. I am going to tell you now, and I'm sure Carlisle would agree with me if he were here, that you have lost that privilege, and should leave Bella alone and stop referring to her as your mate!"

Esme was getting worked up again, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Edward looked about to argue, but before he did, Esme whispered to me.

"Go, Alice. It may take me a while to deal with my son here."

Swiftly and thankfully, I left the room. I was very grateful to Esme for dealing with Edward's denial, and it would make things maybe slightly easier when I told them that Bella was my girlfriend. After that thought, my mind again wandered to all the possibilities that were now open to me. We would grow stronger in our relationship, and be together throughout our lives. I might even change her, if she wanted it. Oh, all the experiences we could share! All the things I could tell her!

The vision came suddenly, so suddenly that it caught me by surprise. The first thing I noticed was that I could see Bella clearly, not blurred or obscured like she usually was when I saw her. That had me on guard. The second was that her eyes were, once again, and unmistakeable violet. But the aspect of this vision that commanded my attention was that she looked scared. _Really _scared. She was running, almost in slow motion, as a black…_thing_ descended upon her. I watched in horror as she was completely engulfed before I could even cry out, and I heard the chilling, wicked sound of a heartbeat coming to a stop.

* * *

**A/N I know I didn't give all the answers, but the girls are still a bit wary about their secrets. And besides, where's the mystery if I just tell y'all? Review!**


	9. Dilemma

**A/N - Sorry for the extremely long wait, and I know that to boot this chapter is short, but I felt like I had to get _something_ down for you guys. So enjoy!**

**BPOV**

I knew that I could not abandon my duty to daydream about the future, no matter how much I wanted to. With full access to my weapons once more, and Charlie safe in the knowledge that I was 'asleep', I slipped out of the window of my room, intent on preventing anything tragic from happening on the eve of the day that had filled me with such joy.

Landing soundlessly, I began a slow circle of the usual area. During my 'absence', I had established a patrol pattern that left me with enough time to return to Port Angeles before sunrise. Now, this simply became the norm. I covered the majority of the forest around Forks, up to that strange border of scents. I didn't like to cross it; disturbing the line didn't sit right with me. But it did puzzle me how a certain combination of scents could fill me with such a feeling of foreboding, when I had come across the reality of much worse before.

As I ran, I was unable to prevent my mind from drifting to the consequences of the day's events. On the plus side, Alice was my girlfriend. My wonderful, powerful, _perfect_ girlfriend. On the not so good side, Alice had seen me running at non-human speed. I could see that she had not bought my bullshit attempt, but was simply leaving it for a later time, and that worried me. And of course, in stating the bloody obvious: Alice was a vampire.

What in Satan's fish-basket was Rick gonna say?

My roaming thoughts were brought back to earth with a 'whump', as a silhouette dashed across my path. Screeching to a halt, I cast around for a scent, but I was overpowered by that wet dog smell again. _Was I over the border? Why didn't I notice?_ But it didn't look like I was, and as the gentle night breeze cleared the air around me, the scent disappeared. _No. That _was_ actually one of the wet doggy smelling things. Whatever the heck they are._ Curious, and perhaps slightly fearful, I tried to locate the scent, but the wind grew stronger, mixing up everything until I couldn't even recognise the normal forest odours.

_Ah well, it's not what I was looking out for, and I know absolutely nothing about it. It could be a lot stronger than me for all I know._ Uneasy in this knowledge, I circled back round to my house and returned to my room, eager to get some shut-eye in preparation for the next day. However, as I scrambled back in the open window, I found the dog scent saturated in my room. I retched, wondering briefly…_Charlie!_ I rushed along the corridor, but quickly calmed when I peeked round his door and saw him snoring contentedly. So…what the hell?

I returned to my room once more with the intention of examining the scent further, but found no trace of it. _Seriously, WTF?_ My brows drew together as I expressed my confusion, before throwing myself onto my bed. I massaged my temples for a moment, attempting to ease the oncoming headache. It made no sense. How could a scent just suddenly disappear?

It was then I realised I had painted myself into a corner. I didn't want to phone Rick, in case he asked awkward questions about the Cullens and my stay with Kristie. I couldn't ask Alice, because she didn't know for sure yet what I was. Something had to give, but the question was; which one would it be?

* * *

I must have drifted off at some point during my worry fest, because the next thing I knew I was being rudely disturbed by my alarm. Seriously, what was up with me and the sleeping thing? It was starting to get worrying, and I was afraid that I was going to have to crack and talk to Rick earlier than I wanted to. Even as I was getting ready, my mind was still dozing.

It seemed like fog was still covering my mind as I was driving to school, and it was only when I arrived that it actually occurred to me; I gotta deal with curious kids wondering about my absence. I hated having to spin webs of lies, 'cos eventually you slip up, and then everything came crashing down around you. _Better suck it up, Bella._

"Bella!"

Brilliant. Jessica tottered over to me hurriedly, clearly having trouble with the killer heels someone had obviously talked her into wearing today. I tried to walk in the opposite direction, but unfortunately she was between me and the school building. Reluctantly, I acknowledged her.

"Bella, where've you been? It's been like, a month, and everyone's been talking about you not being here."

I shrugged, made a non-committal noise and said, "There was some stuff I needed to take care of back in Phoenix, that's all."

The bimbo nodded, as if she understood deeply, and made to say something more, but thankfully her babbling and general guff was interrupted by the only voice that I could never get tired of hearing.

"Hey, Bella."

I spun immediately, hoping desperately that I wasn't _too_ fast, and met a honey gold gaze. Immediately I felt my knees weaken, and my mind drifted back to the previous day, one event in particular springing to mind as my eyes roamed up and down Alice's body. There was a sound of throat clearing, and I suddenly realised I'd been staring a little _too _long.

"Er…sorry. Hi to you to, Alice," I managed to stumble out, my cheeks warming.

"May I accompany you to class? The bell is about to ring," Alice asked, her head tilted slightly to one side.

"Of course," I assented, reaching for her hand and entwining our fingers. For a brief moment, we strolled in silence towards the school building, but suspense settle over me like a damp blanket until Alice began to speak.

"Bella, I understand that you've only just got back and all, but you must understand that I don't for one minute believe half the excuses you made to me yesterday, okay?"

Ouch. There is was. I closed my eyes and took a long breath, before meeting the eyes of the vampire beside me.

"I'm sorry, Alice. I really don't want to get off on the wrong foot or anything, and that's gonna mean having no secrets between us. All I ask is that you give me just a little bit of time to work out how I can explain to you exactly what is going on with me. Please?" She halted us, sighing.

"Bella, I thought a lot about this last night, and I need to know before I can commit myself. It's obvious that you have a few secrets of your own, and I respect that. But they're going to get in the way of us being together if I don't understand them. Believe me, I know." She tapped her temple. "So take your time, just don't hold it inside forever, okay?"

I nodded feebly, and we resumed our walk towards the school buildings, just as the first bell rang. So I'd bought myself some time. The question was, just exactly what do I do next?


	10. Limbo

**A/N Exam season is a bitch! I repeat my declaration of adoration to all of you who have put up with me through periods of extreme inactivity, and as a show of appreciation I have another chapter for you. Enjoy, and bear in mind that Stephanie Meyer is the lucky owner of Twilight, and not my good self.**

* * *

**APOV**

It was entirely uncomfortable after that. At the time, I'd felt perfectly within my rights to ask Bella what exactly was going on with her. Perhaps I'd gotten a little carried away. All I know is that she was almost silent during our walk to lessons, only responding to my occasional attempts at starting conversation with distracted, monosyllabic answers. _This isn't how it's supposed to go at all…_ I groaned inwardly as I made my way to my own class. I'd just gotten Bella as my girlfriend, and already we were barely on speaking terms? However, it did confirm my fears; something big was going down. And more than likely it had something to do with the chilling vision I had received the night before.

That was what had reminded me of her obvious evasion of my questions earlier on, and put me on a higher alert. Before, I may have just forgotten. But now? My instincts were screaming at me to protect Bella, and I needed to know everything I could of what might present a danger to her. That meant I needed to know about this, too. Despite this, I didn't want to scare her. She'd already been entirely too accepting of the supernatural – I did not want to push her over the edge.

Which left me only one option really: Be vigilant, and wait.

* * *

**BPOV**

I knew I would need to contact Rick. He'd be getting worried by now, since I hadn't called for at least a week, and Kristie would undoubtedly have let him know that I was no longer under her roof. It was just so hard for me to even conceive beginning a conversation with him at the moment. _Hiya Rick! Yeah, y'know that vamp Alice, the one you told me to stay away from? She's my girlfriend now, so it's all fine and dandy. Unfortunately, she's questioning my humanity now, and says that she needs to know the truth. So I can tell her, right?_ Yeah, come to think of it, that sounds suspicious, even to me. How the heck can I explain to him that Alice isn't like that?

_How do you know she isn't like that? Vamps are tricky, remember?_ Ahh, shut up inner voice. Don't need you right now. _But ya got me anyway, and I've helped you countless times in the past, so howza bout you be a bit more greatful?_ Fine, fine, whatever. _Pay attention, your girlfriend's startin' to feel hurt._

Crap. I was through the classroom door before I could even do anything to alleviate the clear look of rejection on my pixie's face. What the heck is wrong with me? Zoning out, sleeping late? This isn't right.

Lowering myself into my seat, I dug myself out of my mental musings with only the decision that I would have to call Rick soon to show for it.

I realised that I was sitting next to Angela, so I thought I would try to make conversation. Plus I wanted to know about her boyfriend.

"Hey Angela, how's Ben?" I whispered across the aisle as the teacher took his place at the front of the room. She looked up and round, smiling as she saw me.

"Hey Bella, you're back. I dunno, he's been weird recently. He barely talks to me anymore, and I'm supposed to be his girlfriend!" I winced as I drew a parallel between how Ben was acting towards her and how I had just acted towards Alice. "I think it must have been the trauma of everything, but he's still adamant that he can't remember anything."

"Weird," I replied. "So how are you holding up?"

She looked surprised. "I've been better, I guess. Why do you ask?"

I shrugged. "Just seemed like you and he are going through a lot, is all."

"Thanks, though I know we'll get through it. Ben's a good guy," she beamed, happy that someone took the time to ask, I guess.

I grinned in return, before facing the front again. But on the inside I was worried. What if this was some aftereffect that wasn't in the records? What if he had been infected with something?

A piece of paper appeared on my desk as the teacher began his lecture of the day.

_So how come you were gone for so long?_

I sighed. This was gonna be a _long_ ass day.

* * *

The first thing I did at lunch was rush to find Alice and apologise having been so spacey. But she wasn't there. In fact, none of the Cullens were. Distressed, and by no means slightly frustrated, I found myself returning to Eric's table, where I was subjected to an enjoyable re-enactment of the Spanish Inquisition.

"Yo, Bella! You're back!" Eric spouted cheerily as I set my tray down.

"Yep, seems that way," I smiled half-heartedly. "Had some family stuff to take care of." My tone invited no question, but unfortunately Lauren, who had just joined us, felt the need to poke around for gossip.

"Oh? What kind of family stuff?" Stifling my sudden urge to pull out her hair and shout at her to mind her own business, I put on my best polite expression.

"A family member died, and I had to arrange things because my mom couldn't make it home." _Now please, for the love of all that is holy; Let. Me. Be._

"How come? Where is your mom?" Mike piped up. _Gah!_

"She's travelling with my baseball player of a stepdad."

_Oh crap, now I've done it._ They all looked like they were gonna wet themselves at the prospect of my having a professional sportsman for a stepdad, and were now definitely going to question me for the entire duration of the lunch period.

_Ring, ring._

Oh thank GOD!

"S'cuse me, gotta go," I cut off whoever it was that was speaking, practically running to the clearing station and answering my phone as I went.

"Whassup Bells? No call? Have I lost all my allure and charm? Tell me, please, for the love of God!" At any other time, Rick's humour would have made me smile, but I was too highly strung about my girlfriend's absence to really pay attention.

"I'm sorry Rick, just been a bit busy. But there's something I need to tell you…" _Might as well get it over with now, I suppose._

"Uh oh. I don't like the sound of that Bells. Are you somewhere safe?" By this time I was on the outskirts of the trees in the lot. _Fuck school, doesn't need me anyways._

"Yeah. So you know Alice, right?"

"The vamp I told you to keep away from…what have you done, Bella?" His tone made me shiver.

"Well, I kinda…sorta…asked her to be my girlfriend." _Never got to the actual asking bit, but y'know…_

"What the hell, Bella? You go as far against my advice as possible? Are you fucking insane?" His temper gave rise to my own. I simply was not having a good day, and having Rick shouting me down was the last thing I needed.

"Look, we don't know anything about these vamps. They were supposed to be extinct. If they drink from animals, it means they've made a conscious moral choice. Don't you think that means something? Why would they be going to the school if they weren't trying to live normal lives, Rick?"

"They're dangerous, is what they are. If they catch you unawares, you're dead. It's as simple as that Bella. And I don't wanna see you dead," Rick whispered this last part. I softened my voice a bit; Rick cared about me a lot, and sometimes I forgot about that.

"Yes, but I can take the time now to get to know them better. If we know more about their intentions, maybe we can find out more things. Like for instance how they're not all dead."

"And what about your slip-ups? They'll realise you're not human soon enough. Exposing us like that risks more than we stand to gain." I sighed.

"I'm sorry about that Rick. But there's nothing to do about that now; Alice has already seen me running. The only thing I can do is limit this to me, say I'm an anomaly or something. I won't mention anything about you or anybody else, I promise."

There was a long pause, before a deep breath at Rick's end.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Bells. I'm still majorly tied up here, so I won't be able to come help if things get out of hand. Be cautious, please."

His plea damned near broke my heart, and I found myself forcing back tears. He truly did care for me. But of course he did. He was the one who found me, wounded, when everything first happened. We're partners now, and I know that I couldn't imagine what I'd do if anything happened to Rick.

"Will do Rick. I promise."

"That's all I can ask from you baby doll. Be safe."

I felt a weight lift off my shoulders as I snapped my phone shut. _One conversation down, one to go._ Only question now was – where was Alice?

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**APOV**

The text came during second period, interrupting my long worryfest about everything Bella.

_Everyone, come to the west of the house. Now. – Carlisle_

"Ms Cullen? You have been excused from classes today due to family business."

I was out of my seat almost before the secretary had finished her sentence, and made my way out of school, not bothering to get into a car and opting instead to short cut through the forest. All the time I tried to see what was going on, but I drew a blank every single time. _Too many things are messing with my vision these days…Bella, werewolves, now this…_

Arriving at the clearing to the west of our house, I discovered that I was the last to be there. The others stood in a circle around something that seemed to be holding their interest.

"What's wrong?" I stopped at Carlisle's side. They were all looking down at some pile of flesh on the ground. Then the stench hit me.

"Urgh! What is that? It smells worse than the wolves!"

"I don't know," Carlisle said, scratching his forehead. "I found it in the forest just now as I was hunting. I've never encountered anything like it before, although it looks as though it was once human."

"What's the resemblance?" Emmett asked, poking the heap with a toe.

"It just seems to me to be a mutation of the human form, and that dictates that it must once have had a human form from which to mutate."

"Like us?" Rose questioned sarcastically.

"So why did you call us here?" Edward asked, frowning. He cast a quick glance at me, his frown deepening. _Can he still not hear me?_

"I think this may be what is attacking the townspeople. The long claws it has seem to match up to the lacerations on the victims, but I'm not entirely sure. I wanted to call everyone together so that you all know what it is we're looking for. If you see another one of these, if there is another one, try to catch it. We need to know as much about this as possible."

Everyone nodded.

"Would it not be best to do a quick sweep of the forest around town now? That way we'd be able to identify the scent, if there is another?" Esme enquired.

"Yes I think that would be best," Carlisle assented. "Alice and Emmett, can you take the east side, and Rose and Edward, you take the west. We'll sweep the north and south."

Glad not to be paired with Edward, I followed Emmett to the opposite side of the house. We were silent for a while, and I was happy to have some thinking time as we ran through the trees. Could this be the threat to Bella? If so, how dangerous are they? And how do you stop one? The thing Carlisle had brought looked pretty well done over, though one of the wolves could have done that. Still, although we're not on best terms with them, they usually warn us if anything out of the ordinary is going on. _Urgh! Just more uncertainty and confusion._ I shook my head, trying to pay more attention to my surroundings. But thoughts of Bella kept returning to my mind, and I worried incessantly about my earlier demand for information. _Have I scared her off? What will she think when we're not in lunch? She might think I abandoned her. Oh, please no._ I couldn't stand the idea of her hurting, and this thought only drove me further into the sweep.

"Hey, Alice!"

"Huh?"

Emmett grinned beside me. "You've been spaced out for ages Sprite. Whassup?"

"I'm just a bit worried about this all, Emmett. Anything supernatural that we've met in the past, Carlisle has always heard of, but now? This feels ancient to me. Real ancient."

"Ah, cheer up Sprite. We might even get a good fight outta this one! You can't say you haven't been bored recently, right? I mean, this place is _dead._" A smirked pulled at the corner of my mouth.

"As are we, Emmett. We need a place that's 'dead', so we don't make much of an impact if something goes awry."

"Yes, but it's booooorrrring!" Emmett whined like a kid, causing me to giggle.

"Ah, there it is, there's that smile. You've been so glum, Sprite. Bella troubles?" Guilt spiked in me. I had not yet told him, or anyone, about Bella's display of inhuman speed the day before. I knew that I should, but I felt like I was…betraying her confidence or something.

"Yeah, something like that," I replied.

As we continued our run, I found myself needing to see her again. I needed to apologise for being so pushy. I needed to tell her it doesn't matter to me. But most of all, I needed to see the girl that I was falling for so fast, because I was uncertain of how much time we had left.

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**A/N Review! Luv yaz!**


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